Blood On The Bayou
by HouseNorthman
Summary: Alot has changed in Sookie's life in the last year. She's in love with Eric, she's employed by the Queen of Louisiana, she has her own wealth, and recently found out she has some extended family she never knew about. Will all these changes bring her happiness or will it blow up in her face? *Meant to be read after Dead In The French Quarter*
1. Chapter 1

"CANNONBALLLLL!" Jason's yell was only muffled when he hit the water.

"Whoa there fatty cakes you almost emptied the pool!" Amelia teased him.

"Watch the hair or I'll drain you panther" Pam said dryly as she repositioned herself back on her float.

It had been two months since we came back from New Orleans, and as a present to myself with my new financial independence, I had an in-ground pool put in my back yard. It was the end of May and the Louisiana heat was already rearing its ugly head, so I was having a grand opening of sorts for my new addition. There were strands of twinkling lights and tiki torches around the fence that made it seem like my own tropical paradise. Eric, Pam, Amelia, Jason, Tara, and I were relaxing under the moonlit sky sipping Coronas and TrueBloods and listening to Jimmy Buffet.

"Come on Sook, let's chicken fight!" Amelia said dragging Jason to the middle of the pool.

"Oh you're on witch!" I yelled and pulled Eric back in the pool.

Eric and Pam were looking at us like we were mental.

"You're going to fight like chickens? I don't understand. Are you going to peck each other? Actually that might be hot." Eric smirked. You had to remember with vampires that they don't always understand modern lingo.

"No pervert. You sit on someone's shoulders and your opponent does the same, and the two people sitting on the shoulders, go after each other and kinda wrestle until one of them falls over. Whoever falls off into the pool loses." I explained to my sexy old man.

"Well of course we will win. I am strong and you have my blood." Eric said stating the obvious.

"He's right, that's not really a fair fight. Hey Pam, come over and wrestle Sookie!" Amelia said

"That might be interesting. I've always wanted to wrestle Sookie around in a bikini" Pam smirked

Uh oh I thought. I was strong, but Pam could snap me like a twig. "I don't know if that's a good idea Amelia"

"Don't worry Tinkerbell, I'll play nice. Scared you're going to lose?" Pam was as competitive as I was.

"Bring it on fanger!" I smiled at her.

Amelia hoisted Pam's petite frame up onto her shoulders and Eric put me up on his. After getting onto him for sticking his hands in my bikini bottoms, we were off. I had my arms locked onto Pam and hers were on me, and I was giving it everything I had. She didn't look like she was even exerting any energy.

Pam was definitely getting the better of me when I heard Tara splash back into the pool and took advantage of the opportunity. I looked past Pam and said "Tara those were Pam's new Jimmy Choo's!"

"What?!" Pam turned around I took the split second to knock her off Amelia's shoulders while she was distracted.

"Yes! I win!" I yelled and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Fucking faeries, always playing tricks" She said annoyed.

"That's my girl!" Said Eric and he spun me around and dropped me to face level to kiss me.

Jason, Amelia, Tara and Pam made gagging noises. "Get a room!" "Gross!" They were teasing.

This was the most fun I had since coming back from New Orleans. Amelia and I were getting along great as roommates, even though I only spent about 2 nights there per week, I was there often during the day if I wasn't at work. She had even picked up a few shifts at Merlotte's to help out when Arlene or Holly called out. I thought for sure she would be pulling her hair out to go back home after a week, but she actually seemed happy here. After asking me about ten times if I would be mad, she went with Bill one night to the symphony in Monroe. I assured her it was fine and in fact it didn't bother me at all. I had the man of my dreams and I didn't want Bill sitting around brooding by himself all the time.

When I first got back, I wasn't sure if I should let anyone know about my new finances. Of course my brother noticed my car when he came over after a few days, and I told him it was Hadley's car that she left to me. I also gave him the first royalty check I received the next month which was $26,432 and said that it was his portion of the inheritance. I didn't tell him about the rest of the money or that I would be receive a check like that every month. It's not that I didn't want to share with him because I have every intention of helping him with anything he needs; but if he knew the amount I received, he would expect a huge chunk of it and then blow it. So instead I had been discussing with Eric how I could make a smart investment that would yield Jason a monthly income like I receive from the cosmetics company.

I had seen Niall again. He came by my house one afternoon about a week after I first met him. This time he stayed and chatted with me and explained to me that I was truly the descendent of his son Fintan, who had fathered my grandmother's children. Apparently my grandpa Mitchell couldn't produce the children my grandmother desperately wanted. After meeting Fintan one day in her garden, she was enchanted with him. He said he could give her the one thing she wanted more than anything, and he kept his word. It was really hard to believe that my gran would have ever cheated on my grandpa, but I knew that Niall was telling me the truth.

He said he couldn't contact me when I was growing up for a number of reasons, but when he saw that I was dating a vampire and had allowed Claudine in my life when he sent her; he thought now I would accept him. I did of course because he's family, but it still seemed a little strange at times. The first time he sat down and told me everything about our family history, he explained to me that I had the essential spark of the fae; whatever that is. He said it was what gave me telepathy and other powers that I hadn't yet tapped into. I didn't know what other powers he was talking about and he hadn't been too forthcoming with the information yet, so I decided to wait and see. I did however take him up on an offer he made me. He said that he wanted to do something special for me since it had taken him so long to meet me. I assured him that just knowing him was all I needed. After he insisted that he help me in some way, I realized he might be the only person that could help me with something I wanted to do for Eric. He said he would do his best and get back to me, and I knew he really would.

After another few hours of splashing around and goofing off, Jason and Tara left. A few minutes later, Amelia came over to me and whispered that she was leaving with Pam and not to wait up for her. I had to admit, Amelia was pretty brave to take on the sexual prowess of Pam, but hey more power to her!

I was lying back on one of the big, cushioned chaise lounges when my Viking popped up hovering over me.

"The big, bad vampire Sheriff sure did have fun tonight…I wonder what his underlings would say if they knew he was splashing around like a big kid in a pool?" I said pulling out my camera phone.

"Don't even think about it telepath!" He said as he grabbed me and threw both of us into the pool.

"Let's have a swim contest!" I giggled.

Before he could answer, I ducked under the water and took off as fast as I could. I made it almost the entire length of the pool before shooting up out of the water and screeching "I beat you!"

He was still at the other end of the pool smiling, holding my bikini. I looked down and realized he must have snapped it when I took off swimming. That sneaky little ass!

"You're in big trouble mister!" I said playfully and put my hands on my hips.

"I certainly hope so" He leered at me.

_I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! This book will have plenty of mysteries and adventures, but I wanted to start it off with some fun! Please stick with it and join me for the ride!_


	2. The Power of the Sun

When I woke the next morning, I reached out mentally to find that no one else was in the house. Eric had flown back to Shreveport a few hours before dawn and Amelia was still with Pam. I reached over and grabbed my phone and saw a text from Eric. He had left it after he got home, but I was already asleep.

_The Queen has requested that we call her tonight to discuss a new case she has for you. Please come to Fangtasia around 10 so that we may video conference with her. Until then I will be thinking of you in that little pink bikini. Love, Eric_

Even though my honey was pretty modern in most aspects, he still wasn't too good at writing quick texts; they seemed more like a handwritten letter. So apparently Sophie Ann had work for me, which would undoubtedly involve me listening in on people's thoughts and hearing a bunch of junk that I didn't want to know. Oh well, hopefully it would at least be entertaining and quick. I didn't have to worry about calling out of work because I had recently cut back my work schedule to Fridays and Saturdays and lunch on Mondays. I refused to give up work altogether just because I didn't need the money anymore.

This was a hard concept for Eric to understand when we returned home. I explained to him that I couldn't just sit around and eat bon bons and not work because I had money to fall back on. In fact, the financial independence had given me the chance to do a few things I always wanted to do. For the past two weeks, I had spent my Tuesdays at the children's hospital reading stories and playing games with the kids and on Wednesdays I had been volunteering at the animal shelter. I always loved animals and this gave me a chance to be around them and help out without taking on the responsibility of having another pet.

Some evenings I went into Fangtasia before Eric rose for the night and helped sort his paperwork and handle any issues the human staff were having. It was actually fun being at his work and doing something besides sitting in a booth while his staff catered to me. I may have cut back my hours at work, but I was certainly still keeping busy. Besides, the volunteering and work I did for Eric could easily be put off if the Queen called at a moment's notice for me to work for her. ; Like she had for tonight.

I decided now would be a good time to get a new summer dress to go with the beautiful weather we had been having. I made myself some food and was getting dressed when I heard Amelia come in.

"How nice of you to join me roomie" I teased her.

"Sorry I had a long night" She said smiling devilishly. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yea I was gonna go to Tara's shop and get a new dress. Wanna come?"

"Sure, just let me run through the shower real quick and change clothes."

"Ok, I'll be waiting"

She ran off to the guest bathroom and I heard the shower turn on. I took the time to sweep and mop the kitchen and unload the dishwasher while she was getting ready. After a few minutes we hopped in my car and made the short drive over to Tara's Togs. Tara was in the store alone when we got there, and she was refolding a table of shirts.

"Hey girls!" She said as we walked in.

"Hey you! We need some retail therapy and knew this was the place to go." I said smiling at her.

"Well I've got tons to show you!" I could see the dollar signs in her eyes.

"I'm mostly just looking for a few summer dresses. At least one of them I want to look really sweet and innocent. Like so innocent that it evokes the exact opposite in my man" I said winking at her.

"Ooh you're so bad, I love it! I've got just what you're looking for too." She said.

Over the next hour and a half, Amelia and I bought some dresses, new panties, and a nice pair of sandals. It felt good to finally be able to spend a little money on myself and not feel terrible about it later. Amelia on the other hand, did not have that problem ever. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a boutique in Louisiana that wasn't familiar with her American Express.

Amelia and I went over to a little diner down the road named Silvia's and ate lunch after we left.

"So what are your plans for tonight?" She asked between mouthfuls of salad.

"Well her Royal Fangness has summoned me for very important work" I said sarcastically. "I'm going to Fangtasia around 10 to video conference her with Eric. What about you?"

"I don't have anything going on. I called Sam, but he said he was all full on waitresses tonight. I guess that cute little shifter he hired is working out good."

The shifter she was referring to was none other than Luna Garza, the girl that helped save me the night of the Fellowship raid in Dallas. She remembered me saying that I worked for a shifter back home, so when she came to town to stay with relatives a few weeks ago; she tracked me down and came into to apply for a job. Of course Sam hired her. Probably because of what she was and it didn't hurt that she was single and pretty either. I was glad to have another friendly face at work, so I certainly didn't mind.

"You could go to the bar with me" I said. "I'm sure Pam wouldn't mind seeing you."

"You don't think it would be too much after I stayed with her last night?" She asked nervously.

"No, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Especially if you wear that lavender dress you just bought." I wiggled my eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Ok I'll go. But I'm not going to bother her all night, I'll just say hello and then go mingle."

"Whatever you say."

We got back to the house and Amelia went to take a nap. I guess Pam had kept her up all night. I wasn't going to waste all this glorious sunshine, so I slipped on my tiny white bikini and went to lay in the sun. I was lying on my stomach listening to the radio when I heard a familiar poof sound. I looked up to see Claudine standing there also wearing a bikini.

"Hello cousin! It is a beautiful day isn't it? Mind if I join you?" She asked

"Sure Claudine, you're always welcome here." I ran to the back and got another chaise lounge for her.

We both turned to our backs to sun our front side and chatted about nothing in particular.

"How are things going for you?" She asked me.

"Good I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I mean you are in quite an unusual situation my dear."

"In what way?"

"Well you are part fae and dating a vampire, which in itself is unheard of. You recently found out that your family isn't exactly what you thought it was, and now there's the issue of your abilities."

"Niall mentioned that I had supernatural abilities I hadn't tapped into yet, but he didn't explain what he meant by that."

"Yes well he has given me the OK to teach you about those things." She said happily.

"That sounds exciting, but it also sounds scary to be honest. I haven't had an easy time in life with the little quirks I already have, much less taking on anything new."

"I assure you, there is nothing to be scared of. Niall finds you worthy of having full access to your true Fae power and that is something that many would kill for the opportunity to have. You are very lucky. Not to mention, you will be much more powerful and it will help you defend yourself against those who would cause you harm."

Well that definitely sounded like something I needed! As much trouble as I find myself in, I could sure use some faery kick-ass power.

"Ok, what do I need to do?" I asked her.

"We'll start slow. The first thing we're going to do is unlock the power you already have within you. Take my hands."

She was sitting up facing me, so I did the same and held both her hands. She closed her eyes and mumbled something I didn't understand. I felt a tingly sensation come over me and it seemed as if my skin were even glowing slightly. She smiled and let go of my hands.

"That's it." She said

"That's it? What did you do?" I asked confused

"I unlocked your powers and made it possible for you to be open to more."

"I don't feel any different though. I don't think it worked."

She laughed "Oh don't worry, it worked. Try something for me. I want you to look at that rose bush over there." She said pointing to a half bloomed rose bush in my garden. "Now, close your eyes and try to imagine that bush in full bloom with flowers all over it. Concentrate on that thought and imagine that you're going to send all your energy with that thought over to that bush. Once you think you can imagine it, throw your energy from your hand towards it."

Oh great Claudine had been out in the sun too long and it was affecting her brain. I'll at least humor her I thought. I pictured the bush doubling in size, filling with beautiful pink roses all over it. The idea made me smile. I thought about it really hard and then threw an imaginary softball of energy towards the bush. I opened my eyes and jaw dropped; there were beautiful roses covering every inch of the bush. It looked like someone had switched out my plant with a radioactive one.

"Holy cow! Did you do that? Are you playing a joke on me Claudine?" I asked dumbfounded.

"No Sookie, it was all you. The power has always been inside you, you just didn't know how to tap into it. You must have always known deep down that you were more than human?"

It was true that I didn't exactly know what I was growing up. I did think I was human, just not a normal human. Turns out that was only half true.

"So I'm like a faery Miracle-Gro?"

"Not exactly. Let me show you the part you will need to be very careful with. I want you to look at the roses again and this time imagine them dead. They're shriveled up and black; this thought makes you angry. Now take your anger and the thought of the dead roses and throw it at them."

I tried to duplicate what I had just done, but with the opposite intentions and projected it towards the plant. This time I opened my eyes before I expelled the energy and I saw a small ball of light come from my hand and zap the bush. It turned to ash and disintegrated in front of me.

"You are more powerful than I thought." Claudine said. "I will be teaching you how to use and control your power so that you will not cause harm to anyone or anything unless that is what you mean to do. This kind of power is very useful, but also very dangerous. After you learn to master your light energy, we'll move on to more advanced skills."

I sat there not knowing what to say. Part of me felt wonderful to know that I had this power inside me, but like Claudine said, I didn't want to accidentally hurt someone.

"You said my light energy, what does that mean?"

"We are sky fae so we are one with the sky and the sun and the clouds. We harness the energy of the sun among other things. That's why you will have to be very careful not to expel this energy on your vampire or you could fry him." She said.

The thought of accidentally zapping Eric with the sun scared me to death. I would listen to Claudine and Niall's advice though and not use this power until I was certain I had it under control.

"You did great for your first session cousin. I have to get going, but I'll be back very soon and we will continue practicing until you're a pro at it like me." She smiled.

"That sounds good, but now you owe me a rose bush." I said looking at the charred remains in my garden.

She smiled and walked over to the burned spot. She started running her hand in circles over the ashes and suddenly I saw my rose bush start growing from the ground up again and it was as beautiful as the first time I zapped it to life.

"Like I said, one day you'll be a pro like me." She winked at me and then vanished.

When I wrote this chapter, it came out much longer than I expected so I decided to split it up over two chapters. So Chapter 3 is a continuation of this day. Enjoy and please let me know your thoughts!


	3. I'll Do It

Amelia and I had taken our time getting ready to go to the bar and we looked great. She had on a lavender, spaghetti strap dress that was tight on top and then flowed on the bottom. It was a few inches above her knee and she wore white sandals that had a small heel to finish her look. She looked adorable and that was exactly the look we were aiming for. My dress was a take on the one I wore the first night I met Eric. It was a white, strapless, linen dress and like Amelia's it was fitted on the top half, but had a little more dramatic flair to the skirt and was a bit shorter. I finished it off with a cobalt blue necklace and matching pumps.

When Pam saw me walking up to the door, she smiled and let her fangs run out a little; when she noticed Amelia behind me though, she forgot I was even there and went straight to her.

"My my, look at these two delicious little cream puffs" She said, showing full fang.

"Hey Pam! I have business with Eric tonight and I asked Amelia to come with me. I hope that's ok?" I said knowing it was more than ok.

"Sure, it's nice to see you witch" Pam said to Amelia never even looking over at me.

I walked inside since Pam clearly wasn't interested in talking to me right now, and I saw Eric sitting on his throne. It always cracked me up seeing him that way. As much as I thought he was the incarnation of Adonis, I would never fall to his feet like the pathetic fangbangers did. I knew the minute he spotted me because I was smacked with a wall of lust and hunger. My body gave an involuntary shudder from the lust pouring through the bond. In a blur, he was in front of me taking in my look. He seemed to approve immensely.

"You look like an angel, it makes me want to fuck you right here in front of everyone" He growled. I saw his nostrils flare and his fangs drop. "You smell amazing" he said smelling up my neck and in my hair.

Uh oh, I must still smell like Claudine. He practically drug me into his office and as soon as he shut the door, he was holding me close and bit into my neck. I gasped because it startled me, but he was careful not to hurt me.

"As good as this feels, you need to reign it in before you drain me dry." I said tapping his shoulder. Hell it felt so good though, maybe I didn't really care if he did drain me.

He stopped drinking and licked the wounds to heal them. The look on his face reminded me of someone tasting a big, juicy steak for the first time.

"You smell like sunshine and Faery. It's like the way you always smell except much more intense. I didn't hurt you in my excitement did I?" He asked rubbing my arms and shoulders; still smelling me I noticed.

"No you definitely didn't hurt me, but I think I need to change my panties now." I smiled at him. "I guess you could smell where I was with Claudine today."

"Yes I did smell it, but it's something else too. Even your blood tastes different. I didn't think it was possible, but it tastes even better than usual." He said sounding puzzled.

"That might have something to do with why Claudine came by today." He was looking at me confused and concerned.

"Unfortunately we don't have enough time before our conference with the Queen to discuss this, but I do want to hear about your day when we are finished."

"Ok, do you know what she wants me for this time anyways?"

"No, she called me right before dawn this morning and asked that we speak with her tonight about business. I assume she has someone she wants you to read."

"Yea I figured as much, I was just wondering what's going on for her to contact you right before resting, like she was in a rush or something"

"Well let's find out, shall we?" He asked and sat down behind his desk pulling me onto his lap. He clicked a browser that had been downsized and positioned his webcam at us. After a minute or two, I saw Sophie Ann walk into view and Andre was behind her. Great the creepy Andre was joining us on this digital conversation.

"Good evening Sheriff; Ms. Stackhouse. Thank you for your quick response. I am in need of your services right away Sookie. It seems as though the King of Nevada has been attempting to gather information on the state of Mississippi. Russell Edgington discovered a spy among his male companions. After questioning the boy, it seems he was sent by Felipe DeCastro in Nevada to gain access to Edgington and his palace. It's not clear exactly what the boy was supposed to find out, but of course a spy is never a good thing."

"Ma'am I hope you don't mind me asking this, but why would you care if Mississippi has spies?" I asked respectfully.

"I wouldn't except for the fact that Russell is a close ally of mine and if Nevada is planning a takeover, they would come after me next." She said sounding a little worried.

"Your Majesty, what exactly would you like Sookie to do in this situation?" Eric asked.

"Russell believes there may be more spies circling him, and most likely some of them are humans or Weres. Since his palace is always filled with men, there's no way to know who is new or who he should be concerned with. He has asked for my help in this matter, and specifically for the services of Ms. Stackhouse. He is very impressed with her bravery and skills."

"Are you sure he doesn't just want to lure me into a trap? I did make my way into his palace as sort of a spy too, and free Bill. I don't know that he's a big fan of mine." I said nervous at the thought of going back.

"I can assure you Sookie, Russell thinks very highly of you. In fact, he told how you saved his second; Betty Jo. Your little jail break of Bill is what began him thinking how enterprising you can be. He has also agreed to pay you handsomely if you do this for him. I am asking you to do this as my employee because the information you find out will help ensure the safety of my Kingdom as well."

"I understand. I certainly don't want anything to happen to you or the vampires of this area, so of course I'll help you. Just tell me what you need me to do." I said.

"Wonderful. Tomorrow night as soon as Eric rises for the evening, you two will need to leave for Jackson. You will meet Russell at his compound, where he will be hosting a party. This will give you the chance to mingle and scan the humans in attendance. Find out whatever you can and report to Russell at the end of the party. He asks that you two stay in his home while you are there to maximize your chances of hearing something useful. He has agreed to have a bodyguard for you during the day while the Sheriff is resting, and his staff will tend to any of your human needs while you are his guest. I am also sending one of my own vampires to assist with any foot work you might need. I believe you know him Sookie; it's Bubba."

"Bubba's coming too?!" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. I realize he's a brain damaged vampire, but he's a good and loyal vampire to have around in a tight spot.

"Mr. Compton has compiled a list of vampires who should be at Russell's home and whether they have any ties to Nevada. He emailed you the list Sheriff to print off and take with you. My second; Andre, has agreed to check in with you nightly to update me on your progress. If you find there is anything else you need while there, don't hesitate to ask Russell or Andre."

"We will leave at first dark tomorrow your Majesty. I believe we understand everything that is expected." Eric said.

"Very well then. Goodnight and I will expect Andre to have information for me before dawn tomorrow on what you find out at the party."

"Yes your Majesty. Goodnight." I said.

Eric looked at me and said "Are you sure you want to do this? It might be dangerous, and I don't like the idea of you getting mixed up in what could possibly be a war brewing."

I kissed him deeply for his concern and love for me. "I appreciate that, but this is my job and I intend to do whatever I need to if it means protecting you, Pam, and the other vampires of your area."

"Du har hjärtat av en krigare. Jag är hedrad för att kalla dig min." (_You have the heart of a warrior. I am proud to call you mine.)_

"Min styrka kommer från du min Viking. Jag skulle bekämpa djävulen själv att skydda de jag älskar."_ (My strength comes from you my Viking. I would fight the devil himself to protect the ones I love.)_

I knew there was more we needed to talk about, but right now I just wanted to be wrapped in his arms and forget there was anyone else around us and that we were going on a secret spy mission that might put us smack dab in the middle of danger. We had no need to talk at that moment, just get lost in each other, in our bond. There would be time for talking tomorrow and boy did I have a lot to tell him.

_So Sookie is starting to realize her true powers and now it's off to Mississippi to see everyone's favorite flamboyant King; Russell! Hope you guys like the story so far because we're just getting warmed up!_


	4. Welcome to Mississippi

Our bags were packed and sitting by Eric's front door that evening. I had dropped Amelia back off at my house last night and went inside to pack my things before driving back to Shreveport. Eric was still resting, but the sun was quickly disappearing in the sky so he would be up soon. I figured I had enough time to do a little reconnaissance work before he rose. I walked into his study/office and admired the way his beautiful sword stood out against the cobalt blue walls. It was the only thing he had left from his human life and probably was his most valuable possession then. It was the sword his father had given him when he was 15. He told me that his father explained to him that he was now a man and worthy to go into battle.

I pulled a chair in front of the fireplace and stood on it while I measured the area above the mantle. I made some quick mental notes and was putting the chair back when Eric walked in the room. I didn't feel him rise while I was deep in thought and he had almost caught me.

"What are you doing lover? Thinking of redecorating already?" He smiled.

"No silly! I was just dusting around your sword; I know how you like it to be pristine." I answered nervously. _Calm down Sookie, he can feel your anxiety in the bond_ I told myself.

He looked at me with his little smirk but decided to drop it.

"Are you ready to go? It will take 3 hours, so we should leave now." He said

"Yep I'm ready, and I put our bags by the door so you could grab them on the way out."

He turned to go get the bags and I flung the measuring tape behind the couch then followed him out. He knew I was acting strange, but trust me he had no idea what I was up to. After a very quick argument about driving my car instead of his, we were on our way to Mississippi. For the first few minutes, we just held hands while riding and didn't say anything. I knew he was still thinking about what happened at the bar last night and he was being patient waiting for me to bring it up.

"So like I said, I spent some time with Claudine yesterday. I was sunbathing and she just showed up to hang out."

"I knew I smelled the sunlight on you" He said lovingly.

"Yes well that's not all we did. Remember a few weeks ago when I told you that Niall said I had a lot of power I didn't know about?" He shook his head indicating he remembered. "Turns out he gave Claudine the green light to be my Faery tutor, so to speak."

"And what does a Faery tutor do exactly?" Eric asked and I could feel apprehension in him.

"From what she said, she will teach me how to tap into my Fae abilities and use them correctly. The first thing she did was unlock my powers." I said making air quotations.

"And?"

"Well at first I thought she was just pranking me, but she held my hands and chanted something and I felt this strange sensation all over. It didn't hurt or anything, it was just like a tingling glow. When she finished, she said she had opened up my abilities and I would be able to connect to my power and be open to new powers."

Eric was looking at me tensely; I knew he didn't like the idea of my Faery relatives using their magic on me. If I was still the same naïve person I used to be, I probably wouldn't like it either. The difference was, I knew better now. I knew that I was more of a Supe than I originally let myself believe and hopefully whatever powers I had could be used to save me or the people I cared about.

"Anyways, apparently I can harness the power of the sun in my hands." I spit out the words quickly.

"You can what?!" He said jerking the car to the side of the road.

"I know it sounds scary because vampires and the sun don't mix, but I promise I'm not going to use it until I know I can control it. That's not the only thing I can do either, I can also bring stuff back to life. Well, a plant at least."

"Sookie what you have is a dangerous thing for me to be around. It is one way faeries have fought back over vampires who tried to drink from them. You must be very careful how you use this gift. Come to think of it, it could also be very useful to you. If an enemy vampire tries to hurt you when I am not with you, it's good to know you have other ways of defending yourself."

We sat there for a few moments while Eric was taking in this new information, then he turned to me and kissed my hand and said "Don't worry lover, I know you wouldn't fry me" He smiled and pulled back onto the highway.

The rest of the trip Eric told me everything he knew about the Fae. It still shocked me when he talked about me being some kind of Faery royalty since I was the descendant of Niall and Fintan. He had told me as much the first night I met Niall, but it hadn't really sunk in. From some information I had recently received, I knew Eric was also of a royal blood line, so maybe that was a good omen for us.

The other thing I had been thinking about lately scared me about my newfound family. Why had my Grandfather Fintan thought it necessary to hide his children and grandchildren from his father? That was something I would have to ask Niall about another time, right now I needed to concentrate on the job at hand.

When we arrived at Russell's palace, it gave me the creeps watching the big, iron gates open up to let us in. The last time I went through these gates, I had Bill almost (finally) dead in the trunk and I was scared as hell I wouldn't make it out alive either. Feeling my fear, Eric pushed love and comfort through the bond and I smiled at the gesture. Instead of having the valet park the car, we pulled around to one of the small guest houses on the property.

"Edgington has agreed to let us stay in this cottage while we are here. I thought it might be wise for you to be out of the mansion full of men and wolves while I am resting during the day. We need to get changed for the party." As tense as this ordeal was going to be, Eric was smiling because we were about to get dressed up and go to a party. There were two things Eric really enjoyed doing; going into battle and going to parties. Depending on what happened tonight, he might get both of those.

When we stepped up to the front door of the mansion, there were two armed security guards. If I hadn't been accustomed to the same thing at Sophie Ann's house, this would have unnerved me.

"Name please" Said the guard.

"Eric Northman; Sheriff of area 5, and my date Sookie Stackhouse."

"Thank you Mr. Northman, the King is expecting you; go on in."

Wow this place was amazing. It was so different from what I remembered. Probably because the first night I came in here, I was bleeding out from being staked. Then when I snuck out of here the next morning, I was just trying to make my way out without drawing any attention to myself.

The floors were a cream colored marble and the ceiling was a work of art. There were paintings representing vampirism through history and the swirls of gold were dizzying to the eye. It looked like a vampire version of St. Peter's Basilica; it was magnificent.

"Good evening Ms. Stackhouse, always a pleasure!" Russell purred in his thick southern accent. "Leif, I'm so glad you could make it too! Oh excuse me, I mean Sheriff Northman." Russell was practically giddy. It would have been funny if it wasn't so scary.

"Good evening your Majesty." Eric said first bowing at the waist. I did a less enthusiastic version.

"You two remember Talbot right?" He said as his boy toy walked up.

"Of course! It's nice to see you again Talbot." I said politely and only bowed my head slightly.

"Oh I'm so glad you could come to our little get together, you two are a riot!" Well they were either really happy to see me and Eric or they were laughing on the inside thinking of the ways they were going to torture us for our last visit.

"Mr. Edgington I mean no disrespect, but I want to clear the air." I was whispering to him. "I'm here to help you and I'll do anything I can to get to the bottom of this, but I just need to know if you're sincere about not holding a grudge over me or Eric."

"Of course I'm sincere child! I think what you did was actually quite funny, as well as brave. Plus, I always hated that bitch Lorena. I only let her stay here that week because I owed her a favor and it is not customary for vampires to interfere with a maker/child relationship. I assure you that you and your beautiful Viking have nothing to fear from me."

Well that helped ease my nerves a little.

"Very well, then I will get to work right away and I'll see you in a few hours." I said smiling and backing away with Eric.

"Have I ever told you how much your courage turns me on?" Eric whispered as we were walking through the crowd.

"Maybe a few times" I snickered

We walked through the crowd, stopping occasionally for Eric to speak to some of the other vamps while I let my mind wade through the sea of living brains. Most of what I picked up was the typical garbage.

_I hope he chooses me tonight, hell I'll even play nice with him and his boyfriend Talbot._

_Damn vampires and their parties. I have to put on a suit almost every week for these bloodsucker shindigs._

_Maybe tonight she'll turn me. I hate being a boring human, I want to be like her; powerful, beautiful, and deadly. _

Lots of thoughts about sex of course, but that's something I've gotten used to. I made my way over to the human buffet, the buffet _for_ humans, not _of_ humans. There were tables full of h'orderves, wine, and champagne for the humans. On another table, there were flutes filled with Royalty as well as "menu" cards. The cards were like custom order forms for human snacks. Apparently you could fill out the card to your preference for either male or female, nationality, blood type, breast size, etc. then you hand your card to one of the waiters along with a generous tip and they would come back with your match in donors. It was pretty much the human version of choosing your lobster at a restaurant.

I decided to stuff my face while Eric was talking to some nerdy looking vamp who reminded me of Stan Davis. I guess I was too busy eating to realize I might need something to wash my food down with, so I flagged down one of the waiters to grab champagne from his tray.

"Thank you" I said to the young man. Before he walked away, I caught a glimpse of his brain.

_Damn I hope hot girls like her still come to these parties when Felipe is running the show._

I almost choked on my champagne. I had to think quickly and that meant probably not coming up with the best plan. I put my arm on his shoulder to read him more clearly and gave him my best sex me eyes. I figured it might go over easier if he thought I was drunk, so when he turned back to me I downed the champagne and said in my fake tipsy voice..

"You sure are cute! Too many deaders around here for my taste, I prefer a hot blooded man" I said sweeping my fingers over his shoulder and arm. "How about you and me get out of here honey?"

"Uh, thanks but I have to finish serving drinks, but if you…"

"Oh come on! Just meet me in the bathroom in the far right corner in five minutes. Nobody will notice you're gone for a few minutes" I leer at him, taking a deep breath to help push my boobs out further.

"Well ok, five minutes" He said excitedly and ran off to put up his tray.

I ran over to Eric and pulled him away from his conversation.

"Listen, I found a spy! He's a waiter and he thinks he's meeting me in the bathroom in five minutes for a quickie, so we need to go get in place!"

He looks at me with a shocked look on his face, but smiles and we hurry off to get to the bathroom first. Eric steps into the bathtub and pulls the shower curtain closed and I stand there waiting for the waiter. About two minutes later, there's a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I say seductively.

"It's Jeff, the waiter." He whispers. Stupid kid.

I walk over and unlock the door and pull him in. He tries to pull me to his body, but I pull back and look at him.

"Close your eyes big boy and I'll give you a surprise"

He does as he's told and has a huge grin on his face, for now at least. Eric steps out of the shower and gets right up to his face. He covers the boy's mouth and his eyes shoot open terrified.

"Jeff don't worry, you're fine." Eric says soothingly and his eyes glaze over. He drops his hand from his mouth.

"Tell me Jeff, why are you here tonight?"

"I'm counting people." He says dazed.

"What people are you counting and why?"

"I'm counting how many vamps are usually here at the palace each night."

"And why are you doing that?"

"Felipe is paying me a lot of money to do it."

"Why does Felipe want to know how many vampires are here?"

"He says that once this Kingdom is his, he'll let me work for him full time and I need the money. Plus, he throws awesome parties, total babe magnet."

Eric rolls his eyes in disgust.

"Are any of your other friends from Nevada here in the palace tonight?"

"Yeah, Cameron and Todd are here too. They're getting the layout of the house and property."

"Do you know when Felipe plans on coming to Jackson?" Eric said, clearly getting agitated.

"No, but he says it's all gonna happen soon"

That seemed like all the information this guy had, since he obviously wouldn't be trusted with anything valuable since he was human.

"Jeff, you just got the best blowjob of your life. This pretty blonde is drunk and giving it up easy tonight"

"ERIC!" I yelled at him in a hushed tone. "What the hell?!"

"Calm down lover, you'll see." He said and turned back to the waiter. "You're going to go find Cameron and Todd and tell them about her. She'll show them a good time too if they meet her at guest house 'C' at 3am."

"Awesome!"

"Ok, go now and tell them Jeff"

Eric opened the door for Jeff to walk out while he stood behind it. We waited another few minutes before leaving ourselves, so nobody would see him with us. We went back to the party and casually made our way towards Russell. Without walking up to him, Eric slightly nodded at him to meet us outside.

We went out to the west lawn and sat on one of the many patio furniture sets to wait for the King.

"So I guess the King's suspicions were right. Nevada is planning a takeover." I said stating the obvious to Eric.

"Yes it seems that way. Though I don't know why he would randomly choose to try and overthrow someone as powerful as Russell. Mississippi is profitable, but not so much that it makes it a high commodity. The whole situation just doesn't feel right." I could practically hear him running ideas through his head.

Russell and Talbot walked up and sat down with us. I noticed Betty Jo and another vampire I didn't recognize were standing a few feet from us, making sure no one walked up on our conversation.

"Have you found something already?" He asked.

Eric and I explained what had happened earlier with the waiter and that we were luring his cohorts to our room in a few hours.

"Good work. When we get them in your cottage, we can question them properly." I didn't like the smile he had when he said properly. I had a feeling he meant torturously.

"Nevada doesn't know what he's up against with you my love" Talbot said to Russell.

"That's true but I'll be glad to show that cape-wearing weirdo"

Eric and I went back to our guest house and I pulled out the small voice recorder I packed for the trip. I set it up to record and hid it in a vase with fake flowers. We made up our plan to get the guys all the way in the door before Eric would come out from his hiding place and grab them. I threw off the formal dress I had on and changed into a short pajama slip dress. I thought it looked sexy enough for when I opened the door and conveyed the message that I was about to hop into bed with these fools.

There was a knock at the door and Eric slid out of sight into the kitchen. I walked over to the door and just before I got it open, I knew something was wrong. My other sense told me there was a vampire outside the door with the two humans. I tried to shut the door back the few inches I had opened it, but the vampire slung it open. I tried to cry out to Eric but the vamp was too fast and picked me up and put his hand over my mouth.

I heard Eric whoosh towards me, but Todd and Cameron threw a silver net over him. I felt his pain wash over me and it enraged me. These assholes were going to just get glamoured, but now I think I'll let Russell do whatever he wants with them. As soon as I figure out a way to get away from this greasy haired vamp that's holding me.

"Aren't you a spicy little tamale?" The vamp purred in his weird accent.

"Get your filthy hands off me asshole!" I yell at him. He laughs and then slaps me across the face.

"Watch your mouth bloodbag! You and I are going to have some fun before I stake your boyfriend." He says.

"You won't touch him!" I can feel the combination of Eric's rage as well as my own and I want to kill this disgusting creature more than I've ever wanted anything. Before I can talk myself out of it, I let the rage flow through me and yell "Cover yourself Eric!" before I push all my energy through my hands and ZAP! All I see for a split second is a bright ball of light and the vampire screams and drops me to the ground. When I look up where he was standing, he's gone. Instead he's in a pile of ashes on the ground in front of me. The two boys are now shaking and yell "Let's get out of here!"

I run to Eric and throw the silver net off him. Even injured, he's able to grab both of them by the back of the neck before they make it out the door. He walks back into the living room holding them like scolded puppies and throws them down on the couch. One of the boys peed his pants he was so scared. At this point, I really didn't care what Eric did to them after the way they hurt him. He was growling and trying to calm down so he didn't kill them when Betty Jo rushed through the door, sword drawn. She looked shocked to see the pile of ashes on the ground and walked over to Eric.

"Are you two ok?" She asked.

"Yes, these idiots silvered me but I am already starting to heal. I'll be fine once I drain them both" Eric snarled.

"Before you do that, how about we find out what they know."

Eric and Betty Jo leaned down and looked into the boys' eyes. They put the whammy on them quickly and started their questioning.

"Who was the vampire that attacked my lover?" Eric growled at them.

"Victor Madden. He's Felipe's second."

Oh great I just disintegrated a vampire politician. Oh well, he shouldn't have tried to kill Eric.

"What was your plan for coming here tonight?"

"We were supposed to silver the tall blonde vampire" The other boy said in his daze.

Eric looked at me and said "Can you see if they're telling everything they know lover?"

I reached out and took both their hands concentrating on their brains. All I could tell was Victor had told them to silver Eric. There were pieces of their memory missing though. They had been glamoured into forgetting everything but subduing Eric.

"They've been glamoured. All they remember is that they were to subdue you quickly."

"Great." Eric said.

Betty Jo pulled out her cell phone and stepped away for a minute.

His face and hands were still crisscrossed with burns but they weren't as severe as they were five minutes ago. I can't help but to reach up and offer him my wrist. He just kisses it and gives it back to me.

"Cameron, I'm going to bite you and it's going to hurt. Fortunately for you, I'm not going to kill you tonight." Eric sinks his fangs into the boy's neck and he grimaces in pain. After a few gulps, his face is healed and he retracts his fangs.

"What in the world happened here?" Russell asks as he steps through the doorway, looking at the pile of ash, a silver net, and the two boys sitting on the couch.

Before I can say anything, Eric cuts in and speaks. "This is Victor Madden; Felipe's second in command" Eric said pointing to the ashes as if he were introducing the two. "He came in with these two humans. Apparently he was here and found out that we were luring the boys into a trap. The humans threw a silver net on me and Victor attacked Sookie. She staked him to protect us."

Russell was looking at me with a curious look.

"Ms. Stackhouse perhaps we should start calling you Buffy" He said jokingly.

He knew if I would have staked Victor there would be blood. Vampires only disintegrate cleanly like that when they burn in the sun. Luckily, he didn't call Eric out on it and moved on.

"What do they know?" He asked pointing to the humans.

"They've had their memories glamoured away. All they remember is Victor telling them to take Eric down quickly." I tell him.

"This is becoming a real pain in my ass" Russell says. It sounds funny to hear him say something like that with his almost comical southern gentleman twang. "You my dear, are invaluable though. It's not long before sunrise, so I'll send the cleaning crew down here to clean up this mess quickly. I'll see you two tomorrow evening, and please don't be shy to ask my staff for anything you need Sookie." He turned and went back to the mansion with Betty Jo leading the two boys out.

When Eric and I were finally alone after the cleaning crew came through, I told him my concerns.

"Why would Victor have glamoured everything away from those guys except for throwing the net on you? Do you think he knew I'm a telepath?"

"It's hard to say. I don't see why he would have went to the trouble unless he knew that you might pick something from their thoughts. If he planned on killing us both, it wouldn't have mattered if you heard them or not. We have to get to the bottom of what's going on here and where Nevada is getting their information."

"I know I told you I wouldn't use my new abilities until I knew I had them under control, but I wasn't going to let him stake you while you were injured. I didn't know what else to do." I say to him.

"You my dear did wonderful. I have seen full blooded Faeries not have enough power to fight off a vampire attack the way you just did. You're very powerful; especially for someone who is only part Fae. That information has to stay between us Sookie. I didn't mention how you killed Victor because I didn't want the King or Betty Jo to know about you. It's enough that they know about your telepathy, we need to keep the rest of your Faery heritage to ourselves."

"That's what Claudine said. She also told me she believes the magic inside me is very powerful. Maybe it has something to do with all your blood I have inside me. Maybe it juices up my powers?"

"It's possible. I wouldn't know though because I think you're the first Faery ever to have vampire blood in them. It's usually the other way around." He says raising his eyebrows.

"Well I guess you better not get out of line or I might have to give you a little zap." I say playfully while poking him with my fingers.

"There's about 45 minutes before dawn, maybe I should put some more vampire inside you and see if I can power up your juices." He growls at me.

"I guess it's worth a try" I sigh.

_There's trouble brewing in Mississippi. Let's hope Eric and Sookie can figure out what's going on before it's too late. Please follow and review if you're enjoying the story!_ the door with the two humans.,


	5. Memories from Afar

I was awakened from a deep sleep the next morning by none other than my fairy Godmother. Claudine was rubbing the hair out of my face and calling my name when my eyes popped open.

"Good grief you scared me! What are you doing here, there are vamps everywhere!" I said to her as I sat up.

"Yes but it's daylight so they are all currently dead" She smiled cheerfully.

"Good point. What brings you to Jackson?" I asked even though I was pretty sure I knew why she was there.

"You have been using your powers. What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I know I need more practice with you and Niall, but it was an emergency. Some hotshot vampire from Nevada tried to kill me and Eric last night. They had Eric silvered so he couldn't help me and I didn't have any other way to defend myself." I said feeling like the kid who wore their church clothes out to play.

_I know I wasn't supposed to play in my nice clothes, but they were the only thing I had to wear. _

"Sookie don't fret, I'm not angry with you! You did exactly what you should have and I am very proud of you." She beamed. "Yes you do need more practice, but you have honed in on your skills quickly, it is most impressive."

"Oh, well thanks. I wasn't planning on doing it so soon, but the situation arose and I figured it would be better than getting drained and Eric getting staked.

"Of course it was. Grandfather is very pleased with you as well; in fact he has sent me with a gift for you. It is an absolutely priceless gift that he believes you deserve, and I'm here to offer it to you. It is your choice whether or not to take it." She said pulling out a small velvet pouch.

Just from the sounds of it, I was nervous as to what it might be. Faeries have a very weird sense of humor after all. "What is it?" I asked.

She opened a bag and pulled out a small vial of what looked like beautiful crystal blue water.

"You have shown that the essential spark in you is very strong. You are more Fae than we could have imagined. This is a very special potion that is only mixed once every few centuries; it allows the user to access their full Faery heritage. As you can guess, it is very rare that someone who is part human is given this potion. Niall has chosen you to receive this gift because he can see how truly special you are. Though we would never force you if you didn't want to, I think it would be a shame to deny your true identity. You my dear Goddaughter are a child of the Fae and part of the Brigant royal bloodline. It is your birth right to be a true Faery. The choice is yours."

My head was spinning at the things she was saying. It was true that I knew I had more Supernatural elements in me than human, but was I really ready to be a true Fae; whatever that meant?

"What will it do to me?" I asked nervously

"You will have access to any powers that currently lie dormant in you. You will be very strong, healthy, and have a life span closer to a full blooded Faery. With the powers you have already shown, I for one would be very excited to see what else you can do."

"Do I have to make a decision right now? I need to think about this."

"Yes, you can think it over. Don't take too long though; this potion will not last forever." She handed me the bag, kissed my forehead and vanished.

I sat staring at the bag for a long while, thinking about what she said. It was true that I was very intrigued at the thought of having more powers than I did now, but you know what they say; with great power comes great responsibility. Then there were the obvious benefits of living a life span close to a Fae. I wonder how long I could live. Niall and Claudine were true Faeries and I didn't know how old they were, but I knew they had been around a very long time. I looked over at Eric beside me and felt my heart swell with love. I could possibly spend centuries with this man, if he would have me that long. What would it be like to walk the Earth with him for much longer than I thought possible? Hell, I wouldn't even have to give up sunlight and food. _Too much serious thinking before I've even had coffee_. I got up and slipped the bag in my suitcase, inside a pair of socks. I would need to think about this more before I made up my mind and right now I needed to think about the reason I was in Mississippi.

As I got dressed, I thought back to everything that happened last night. We found a spy who was only here to count how many vampires and wolves were typically around Russell at all times; we found two other spies who were scoping out the mansion and grounds, and surprisingly King Felipe's second was already here snooping around unnoticed. The fake waiter Jeff didn't seem to know that Victor was here, since he didn't mention it when Eric glamoured him. The other two boys didn't seem to remember much of anything except to take Eric out as soon as they entered my room. It seemed that Victor Madden must have already received a heads up on my telepathy and wanted to make sure I didn't hear anything from either of them. I had a feeling there were more traitors in Mississippi than we originally thought.

I decided to walk over to the main house to find some food since I didn't want to call the kitchen staff and have them make something just for me. As I walked across the lawn back towards the house, I saw two or three Weres walking the grounds, apparently on patrol for the day. They looked bored and two of them were playing on their cell phones. _Real good security you got Russell_, I thought to myself. If Russell made it out of this takeover alive, he was really going to have to revamp (ha ha) his daytime security.

The palace looked different in the daytime without the hustle of people it had the night before. It was still just as beautiful, but seemed quiet and almost deserted. That was probably due to the fact that the boy toys who stayed here keep vampire hours so they were still in bed.

I walked into the casual dining room and there were trays filled with pastries, cereal, finger sandwiches, fruit, tea, soda, and water. The King had told me to have the staff get whatever I needed, but this was right up my alley. I fixed myself a sampler plate and poured some sweet tea before making my way outside to a patio table to eat lunch. It's too bad I was here on business; it would be a perfect day to go swimming in the huge pool around back. As I sat there eating, I tried to think of what I could do right now to get any more information before the vamps rose for the night. I still had about four hours before they would be up and I felt useless sitting around waiting on them to tell me what to do.

_Think Sookie! What would the Nevada vamps have been doing if they were planning on a takeover?_

_They've probably been scoping out any Supe owned businesses and holdings that they would have a financial interest in. I wonder if Amanda or Jannalynn had noticed anything weird at Club Dead? I could call Alcide and see if he's at the Jackson office. Maybe he could get me in touch with Amanda, since Jannalynn scares the hell out of me. I would just go by the club myself, but with the stay away magic on that place, I don't think I could find it again._

I went back over to the guest house I was staying in and grabbed my phone to call Alcide.

"Sookie, it's good to hear from you. What are you up to?" He answered cheerfully.

"Hey Alcide, it's nice to talk to you too. I was wondering if you were in Jackson today?"

"Yea I'm at the office right now, why?"

"I'm in Jackson on business and I was hoping to talk to you about some things that are going on. Vamp and Were stuff going on." I threw that last part in so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"Ok sure. Do you remember how to get over to my office?"

"I think so. I'll call you if I have any problems. Be there soon." I said and hung up.

I wonder if the staff attending to all my needs would include loaning me a car? One way to find out I guess. I picked up the landline in my room and hit 9.

"How may I help you?" Said a very feminine sounding man.

"Hi this is Ms. Stackhouse, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to borrow a car for an hour? If not, if you'll just tell me who to call for a rental car that would be great."

"It's no trouble at all Ms. Stackhouse! I'll send a car to your house in the next ten minutes. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No thanks the car will be just great. Thank you."

Wow, a girl could get used to this kind of treatment. Sure enough, five minutes later there was a nice little four door pulling up outside the house. Not taking any chances, I hesitated before opening the door and listened in on the man's thoughts.

_Hope this car is ok for her; Russell said to give her whatever she asked for. Must be nice having Russell Edgington cater to you and having that hot blonde for a boyfriend. Wonder who she is?_

I had to suppress a laugh and opened the door.

"Ms. Stackhouse here is the keys. It's yours for as long as you need it. I made sure the tank was full and there's a GPS in it in case you aren't familiar with the area."

"You didn't have to do that, but thank you very much." I handed him $20 not knowing if this was a situation you were supposed to tip in. Working in the service industry myself, I completely understand the need to tip people for their hard work.

"Thank you ma'am. Have a good day."

I left a note for Eric telling him I was going out but would be back in a little while. I'm sure I'll be back before he ever wakes, but it just felt like the polite thing to do.

It was so nice having GPS to get me to Alcide's office. I could have made it without it, but it would have taken me a while to get downtown and then figure it out from memory. I pulled up to his building and noticed his truck was the only one in the parking lot. He walked out to meet me and a little ball of nerves hit my stomach. I hadn't seen Alcide since the night of the witch war and a lot had happened since then. Specifically that I had killed his ex-girlfriend in self-defense and ordered that his almost in-laws be executed as well.

"You're a sight for sore eyes!" He said grabbing me up in a big bear hug.

"You too! How are you?" I said

I noticed that he lightly sniffed my hair as he put me down and his smile faded for just a second. Being a gentleman though, he perked right back up and continued talking.

"I've been good. Business has been going good and Dad has been settling in as Packmaster, so everything is going great. It would be better if you had called me in the last few months though."

I didn't know how to tell him that I was keeping my distance because of the things I had been forced to do to protect myself. Instead I smiled and said "I'm sorry, I've been really busy. I took a job with Sophie Ann and I'm still working at Merlotte's, so I have a lot going on right now."

"You're working for the Queen? That sounds dangerous." His smile was gone now.

"Yea just when she needs me for something. It's really not a big deal though, she's a good boss and she hasn't asked me to do anything that I would have a moral objection with."

"Well that's good I guess. I just don't like the idea of you being in so deep with those fangers. Speaking of which, I can smell Eric on you so I guess you two worked things out after he got his memory back?" He said with a question in his voice.

"We did. In fact, I'm really happy." I said meaning every word of it.

He playfully motioned a dagger going through his chest. "Can't say that I'm thrilled to hear that since I was hoping one of these days you and I would have a chance. If you're really happy though, I'm glad for you."

"Thanks Alcide. I promise if I ever give up the fang, you'll be the first call I make" I said jokingly. "So let's get down to business, is it safe to talk inside?"

"Yea, I sent everyone on an extra-long lunch break when you said you wanted to talk."

I got a brief glimpse in his head of what he thought might happen in his office today. There wasn't much talking at all unless you count OH MY GOD ALCIDE! YES! YES !YES! Definitely time to reinforce my shields. We stepped into his office and sat down on the sofa.

"So like I said, I'm in Jackson right now on business. Sophie Ann and Russell Edgington asked me to come here and figure out what's going on when Russell found a spy in his entourage a few nights ago. As it turns out, it looks like Felipe DeCastro; the vampire King of Nevada is planning a hostile takeover of Mississippi. He sent spies to scope out Russell's palace and find out how many vamps owe him fealty and how to make his move. I was wondering if you had noticed anything strange at any of the Supe places you visit, like Club Dead or any other businesses?"

"Well to be honest, I've been kind of a hermit lately. I've been really busy at work with the weather being so nice and I haven't heard much from anyone. Our last full moon run was a few weeks ago and as far as I know everything was fine."

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could talk to Amanda and find out if she's seen or heard anything unusual?" I asked.

"Sure, no problem. As much as Weres hate to admit it, vampire politics always end up involving us too so it's good to know what's going on."

"Thanks Alcide, I appreciate it. Just don't mention to anyone why you're asking ok?" I would hate to let word get out that Russell knew what was going on as it could mess up whatever counter measures he was planning. "I better get back to the palace before the vamps get up. I really appreciate you helping me with this."

"Sookie you don't have to thank me. We're friends and you're a friend of the pack, so it's my duty and honor to help you." He looked like he was searching for the right words to say next. "I'll call you when I talk to her and see what I can find out. If you happen to get tired of the fang before then, give me a call" He said teasingly.

I smiled and gave him a quick hug before leaving. Driving back to the mansion, it occurred to me how helpful it would be if I could read vampire minds. Helpful and deadly that is. The few snippets I had ever heard from a vampire was from Eric's mind and even he didn't know about it. Now that we were together, I didn't fear he would hurt me or anything, but somehow I still didn't think he would like knowing I could read his thoughts.

Remembering that I hadn't yet called Andre to relay the information we had found so far, I decided to leave it on his voicemail so I wouldn't have to speak to him. He wouldn't be up for about two more hours, so now was as good a time as any.

"_Hi Andre, it's Sookie. Sorry I didn't check in before dawn, but we had a bit of a problem and I couldn't call. Last night we found three human spies here who were in charge of scouting the grounds and property and another was counting how many vamps were usually here on a typical night. He was also trying to see how many humans and Weres Russell usually has around him. At the end of the night Victor Madden, who is Felipe's second; broke into my room and attacked me while the other men silvered Eric. We got out of it, but Victor Madden is truly dead and I don't know what Russell did with the humans. I've used a contact of mine to find out if there's anything unusual happening with any of the Supe owned businesses and hopefully I'll have more information in a couple hours. I'll call you back when I find anything."_

I arrived back at our guest house and decided to keep the car with me in case I needed it again. I went in and saw Eric still peacefully asleep on the bed, so I went to take a shower and get ready for the night.

There were so many thoughts racing through my mind while I showered. The situation in Mississippi was dangerous to everyone, especially considering if Russell was overthrown then surely Louisiana would be next. What was wrong with Felipe; why couldn't he be satisfied at already owning one of the most profitable states in the US? That's just how some vampires were though; all power. It really wasn't different from the way some humans like to gather power and wealth no matter what the costs.

I also couldn't stop thinking about the Faery potion Claudine gave me. It worried me that part of me really did want to be a part of the Fae. The way Gran raised me wouldn't exactly fit in with the way I knew Supes behaved. Especially Faeries; they could be so beautiful and magical, but they were also absolutely lethal. I wondered whether I should discuss my choice with Eric and if I did, what would he want me to do? In the past he mentioned that he wished I would allow him to turn me, but when I vehemently turned him down, he backed off. What would happen to us if I were more of a Faery, would he be able to control himself from draining me? I had more questions than answers, so I knew I couldn't make my decision yet.

While I was fixing my hair, I felt Eric rising in my soul before I heard him in the bedroom. It didn't matter that I felt him rise every day; it never got old to me, it gave me butterflies every evening.

I turned around to head to the bedroom and Eric appeared right in front of me. He smiled and gave me a long, hot kiss.

"I was thinking of you in my daytime rest" He said softly. "I wanted to touch you and kiss you, but I couldn't will myself to wake up unfortunately."

"That's alright, I was thinking of you too. I love you Eric." I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him back into a deep kiss. I guess thinking of spending more time than I ever imagined I could with him, had me feeling especially needy.

He lifted me with ease and I wrapped my legs around his waist. As he carried me back to the bedroom, he was kissing my neck and caressing my butt, which was in his hands.

"I want you so bad" I moaned and rubbed myself against him. He growled and threw me on the bed, which sent my temperature soaring.

"I will always give you what you want lover"

We were naked and tangled up in each other within seconds. We were so hot for each other; I swear his cool skin felt as hot as mine. He kissed me from my head to my toes and lightly drug his fangs up the inside of my thigh. I was quivering when he slowly slid his tongue inside my wetness.

"Oh God Eric! I need you, I need this everyday" I was lost in the sensations running through me.

His tongue was replaced with his throbbing erection and he pushed into me as deep as he could. I lost my breath for a few seconds and was only thrown back into consciousness by the pounding of the headboard. He flipped me over to straddle him on top and I rocked my way towards what I could feel was an overwhelming orgasm. When I was just on the edge, I grabbed his hand off my breast and bit into his wrist. We exploded at the same time and I sucked hard for his blood. After a few sips, I started getting images in my mind.

There was a little blonde haired boy running along a river, laughing and playing. He was wearing a coat of some sort that was made of an animal hide. Then there was a flash of the boy who was older now, he was being handed a sword by an older, gruff looking man who I assumed was his father. There were flashes of the young man in battle; he was magnificent. He was fast and agile and could swing his sword with a ferocity I had never seen. I saw him standing over a woman who was cradling a newborn, then little children running around a house laughing. I saw the man who was grown now, placing his wife and newborn baby in a grave as a single tear fell onto her dress. There was another face I recognized, it was Godric. He was standing over the man who was dying. He had been gravely injured in battle. Godric spoke to him, though I couldn't hear the words and then bit into his neck.

"SOOKIE! Sookie are you ok?" Eric was shaking me and looking at me worriedly.

"Huh, yea I'm fine."

"What the hell just happened? You were drinking from me and when I looked up, you had stopped drinking but you were just sitting there with a faraway look on your face."

Trying to process what I had just seen, I felt a tear fall from my eye.

"I saw you. I saw your life, your human life." I said.

Eric sat perfectly still and didn't speak for a moment. "What did you see?"

"I saw you as a child running with your brothers along a river bank. I saw your father hand you the sword that's in your living room. You were in battles and you took down your enemies as if they were nothing." I paused because I didn't know how he would feel about the next part.

"I saw your wife and children. They were running around your house playing. A little boy even had a stick that he was pretending was a sword. They were blonde like you." I had to stop to suppress the sob I could feel rising up my throat. I had always thought of Eric as this powerful, stoic, Viking vampire; it was hard to see that he had a normal life with a wife and little children playing in his lap. It was almost unbearably sad to think of what he had lost.

Eric looked mesmerized by my words but he didn't speak.

"I also saw Godric. You were on some sort of altar; you were laying there because you had been severely wounded and you were dying. Godric showed up and spoke to you, and then bit you."

We sat there for a few minutes, neither of us speaking. I had tears running down my face, but I couldn't turn to Eric for comfort, it wouldn't have been fair. I could feel his grief and confusion running through the bond, but there was also relief. I didn't know if he was upset with me for bringing up his human life; I knew some vampires found it too painful to recall their lives before being turned. Slowly he turned to me and pulled me against his chest. Running his hands down my back he whispered "thank you."

I could see that his eyes were rimmed with red where he was holding back from crying, and it broke my heart.

I grabbed his face in my hands. "Oh Eric, I'm sorry! I've upset you; I should have kept my mouth closed!"

"No my love, you haven't upset me. I have been vampire for so long, it's hard to recall those memories. I've thought of my children's faces many times over the centuries, and I find I can't really recall what they look like. I am not angry with you, I am envious. I don't know how you did what you just did, but I assume it has something to do with your Faery skills strengthening."

I don't know if it was the overwhelming feeling of love emanating from the bond, or just my own arrogance; but I decided to try something that probably wouldn't work. Keeping my hands on Eric's face, I closed my eyes and replayed the scenes I had witnessed from his life. I didn't know how to do it, but I was acting on instinct when I tried to push those thoughts to his brain. At first he probably thought I was crazy, but then his face lit up and I knew he was seeing the same things I had. After I saw Godric talking to him, I took my hands off him and looked into his eyes. He didn't respond, instead just kissed me passionately and pushed his adoration through the bond.

"You are amazing lover. I didn't think I would ever see their faces again. My brother, my father, my children; they were all there. This is an incredible gift you have."

"I had no idea I could do that. I just thought of myself pushing the images into your head and it worked."

"Men du gjorde det, jag är mycket tacksam till du. Även under min mänskliga dagar visste jag aldrig den kärlek jag känner nu för dig." (_However you did it, I am very grateful to you. Even during my human days, I never knew the love I feel now for you_.)

Feeling that I might burst into tears at any second, I thought it best to change the subject.

"So, I need to tell you what I found out today."

_This seemed like a good stopping point for the moment since I'm nine pages in on my word processor! I hope you guys are enjoying the story! I have to admit I got choked up writing the scene where Sookie was seeing Eric's memories. It was really a touching thing for them to experience together. Next chapter will probably be posted tomorrow and we'll get deeper into the Mississippi/Nevada situation. Please follow and review if you want to keep hearing the story_!


	6. The King Has Left The Building

"I talked to Alcide today. I was just sitting here thinking that I should be doing something useful while you all were dead for the day, so I called Alcide to see if he was in town." I said to Eric.

"And?" He asked not exactly happy.

"I went over to his office and without telling him all the details, I gave him the gist of what's going on and asked if he would talk to Amanda or Jannalynn and find out if they've noticed anything unusual at the club."

"Sookie, it's important that we don't let any possible traitors know what information we have. It could be very dangerous for all of us."

"I know that Eric. Don't you think I checked his mind to make sure there was nothing there that shouldn't be? Believe me; he didn't have any firsthand knowledge of what's going on. I told him it was vital that he keep this news to himself and only ask the Weres general questions that wouldn't give anything away. I know you've had centuries of practice at spy games, but I'm no fool either."

"Of course you aren't lover. I'm afraid I don't have as much confidence in the Were as you do."

Eric's phone rang and he stepped in the other room to answer it. I don't think he's mad at me for involving Alcide, but fangs and fur have a tendency not to trust each other. I knew Alcide wouldn't betray my confidence so I wasn't worried; in fact I wish he would call soon to tell me what he's found out.

Eric stepped back into the room with his mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"Looks like we are having company tonight lover. That was the Queen; she says she is on her way to Jackson along with Bill, Pam, Felicia, Rasul, Melanie, and Andre. After she received your message about the incident last night, she wants to bring some of her minions with her to devise a plan with Edgington."

"Well that's good I guess, at least we'll have backup." I said trying to be optimistic.

My phone beeped indicating I had a text message; it was Alcide.

_I can't get Amanda…going to the club…meet me there at 10_

"Do you know how to get to Josephine's?" I asked Eric.

"Yes, why?"

"We need to be there at ten to talk to Alcide."

Realizing I was underdressed for the occasion, I changed into a tight sparkly LBD I bought at Tara's. Eric put his suit on and we headed over to the main house to let Russell know what our plans were.

We were escorted to the library where we found Russell and Talbot having an intense conversation. I didn't hear what they were saying, but Russell looked mad. Out of sheer interest in gossip, I wished again that I could sometimes read vampire minds.

"Good evening Ms. Stackhouse, Mr. Northman. You two look fabulous, are you going somewhere?" Russell said immediately back in his friendly, southern twang.

"Yes your Majesty; we are going to Josephine's bar. Sookie is following up on a lead." Eric said.

"Well that is good news. I believe you heard your Queen and some of her comrades are on their way here?"

"Yes, her Majesty called me a little while ago and informed me of her plans."

"Very well then. I'll send a driver to pick you up momentarily if you would like to wait out front." Russell said grabbing his phone.

"Actually your Majesty, your staff was kind enough to loan me a car today, so we can just drive that if that's alright?" I asked in my sweetest tone.

"If you would rather, that is fine with me dear. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"Thank you" Eric and I replied in unison.

After walking back over to our driveway, Eric climbed in the driver's seat, while I got in the passenger side. I would have argued that I was perfectly capable of driving, but since I had no idea where to go, it was probably for the best.

"What exactly are we supposed to do at the club?" Eric asked me.

"I'm not sure, but Alcide said he couldn't get in touch with Amanda so he was just going over there and wanted us to meet him."

"I don't know if this is a good idea. If there are traitors at the club, we could easily be outnumbered."

"Unfortunately it's the only lead I've got right now, so we'll just have to take that chance. Besides, certainly Eric Northman can handle a few rogue wolves and vamps." I said stroking his ego.

"Of course my love, but I wish to keep you safe as well."

I pulled my phone out of my bag and texted Pam.

_Meet us at Club Dead when you get here. Cataliades will know where._

Eric continued driving about ten more miles, when I started to get that weird tingly feeling up my neck; we must be getting close. Strangely, the feeling didn't get any worse and once we arrived, I didn't feel the dread I remembered feeling the first time I came. I guess that was a side effect of being more in tune with my own Supernatural side.

After we parked and walked to the front door, Eric paused before we entered.

"If something happens in here, get out of the club and take the car back to the mansion." He said to me.

"OK" was all I could say. Arguing with him would be pointless and I had a few tricks up my own sleeve.

We stepped inside and were greeted by a very large, bristly looking man. A quick peek in his head told me he was a Were. Wonder what happened to the goblin that usually ran security?

He looked at Eric and me for a few seconds before stepping aside and letting us go in. I was surprised he didn't hassle Eric about bringing a human here like the time Alcide had brought me in. Either he could smell my otherness, or he didn't want to fuck with the huge vamp in front of him.

We walked towards the bar where I spotted Alcide sitting on a bar stool. I knew the minute he noticed me because I saw the back of his head tilt up like he was picking up a scent in the air. As he turned around, his small smile faded when he saw me holding hands with Eric walking up to him. Surely he didn't think I would come in here by myself.

"Hi Sookie; Eric." He said not looking at Eric.

"Hi, thanks for getting back to me so fast. Can we talk somewhere more private?" I asked him.

"Sure, let's step outside." He got up and we walked back out the door.

"So did you talk to Amanda yet?" I asked anxiously.

"No, I came up here to find her but she isn't here. I can smell her nearby but she isn't here, I guess I'm picking up her scent from where she's working all the time."

"Well did you ask to find out where she is? We need to talk to her. I guess we could talk to Jannalynn, but I'd rather not involve her in any way."

"Thing is, she's not here either. It's weird for both of them to be off on the same night, I feel like something's wrong. Remember my pack mate Hamilton?" I nodded to show him I knew who he was talking about. "He's here tonight bartending and said that Amanda and Janna just needed a night off. Also I don't know all the vamps in the area, but there's a few in there I don't recognize and some Weres that aren't part of the pack. Granted, we don't require them to check in when they're just visiting, but given the situation, it's a little suspicious."

"So pretty much you found out nothing, but still called Sookie to waste her time coming down here Herveaux?" Eric said coldly.

"Eric!" I scolded.

"Actually fanger, I thought maybe Sookie would want to read the Weres I don't know to see if they know anything." Alcide spat back at Eric.

"That's a great idea." I said trying to bring the testosterone level back down. "Let's go back in and see what we can find out."

Walking back in the club, I noticed several pairs of eyes on me and Eric. I decided I was being paranoid and ignored it. We sat at the bar and Eric ordered a True Blood, while I got a gin and tonic. As the bartender was making our drinks, I concentrated on his thoughts.

_What the hell are they doing here? I don't care if he is the Packmaster's son, he better not mess this up for us._

Keeping my face void of all emotion, I struck up a conversation with Hamilton.

"It's nice to see you again Ham! I'm in town visiting for a few days and I was really hoping to see Amanda while I was here. Do you know when she'll be back?" I asked him.

"Not sure really, she said she needed a break from the bar and asked me to help out. It's good to see you too Sookie." _Yea she won't be back until she comes to her senses and stops holding out on us. If she would just take it already and stop fighting it, she would see how fucking amazing it is._

"Oh well that's too bad. Hopefully she'll stop by before I head back home. I can't believe Janna would take vacation at the same time though, leaving you here to run the bar yourself. They must really trust your mad bartending skills." I smiled playfully. I didn't think that was true at all, especially considering how shaky he was trying to pour my drink.

"Well I've got it under control. I used to bartend when I was younger and it's just like riding a bike." He said innocently but his mind quickly flashed a scene that made me want to jump up and strangle him. I saw Amanda tied to a chair with a silver rope wrapped around her mouth like a gag. The silver was keeping her in pain, so she wasn't able to change. Jannalynn was in front of her yelling at her and shoving a little vial in her face. She was trying to force the contents into Amanda's mouth, but she was refusing and biting at her. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was seeing. Janna was forcing Amanda to take vampire blood. By the looks of it, Janna and Ham were into it and trying to get Amanda to join them.

I almost gagged thinking of how much pain they were inflicting on Amanda and why in the world would Weres be drinking vampire blood? Weres thought vamps were disgusting and taking their blood was like sacrilege. Of course if you were a Were drinking vampire blood though, you were probably not the most honorable person anyways.

I stood up from the bar and pulled Eric out onto the dance floor with me. He looked a little confused at first, but I gave him a wink and started twirling on the dance floor with him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him into a kiss. Just as I had done earlier that night, I pushed the scene I had gotten from Ham's head into Eric's. I couldn't have told him what I had seen without other vampires in the bar possibly hearing me, so thank goodness I had found this little talent. As he witnessed it for himself, I felt his anger swelling through the bond.

When I pulled away from him, he put a fake smile on his face as he spoke to me. "You sexy little minx, I think that gin is getting to you. Let's go find a seat."

Seemed realistic enough if anyone was eavesdropping. Eric led me to a corner booth and gently pushed me to the inside while he sat on the edge of the seat. I knew he was trying to put me in a protective position. What I had just showed him had him angry and uneasy.

Thinking of another option, I looked at Eric and barely whispered "Varför skulle de göra det?" (_Why would they do that?)_

"Den enda anledningen jag kan tänka på är att Nevada är att få dem fast så de kommer att göra hans befallningar" (_The only reason I can think of is that Nevada is getting them hooked so they will do his bidding)_

My eyes widened when I realized what he was saying made sense. If Felipe got some of the Weres hooked on V, they would help him overthrow Russell's regime. Even though Weres aren't as powerful as vampires, they had one huge advantage; they could go out in the daylight, while vampires were defenseless. I felt a shiver go down my body at that thought.

I needed to let Alcide know what I found out, but with all the Supes around, I couldn't tell him right now. I felt Eric's body stiffen beside me as another vampire approached our table.

"Good evening Sheriff. The King has asked that you be well taken care of while visiting the bar. A glass of Royalty on the house." He said as he set down a wine glass of blood in front of Eric.

"Thank you for the hospitality." Eric said accepting the drink.

The vampire walked off and Eric set the glass down without drinking from it.

"Russell vet vi arbetar, han ville inte berätta för någon att du var hans gäst ikväll." (_Russell knows that we're working, he wouldn't tell anyone you were his guest tonight.)_

"Naturligtvis inte. Att lura inte måste inse att en vampyr som är lika gammal som jag själv kunde känna lukten ens ett spår av silver. Drycken är spetsad med den." (Of course not. That fool must not realize that a vampire as old as myself could smell even a trace of silver. The drink is laced with it.)

Now that made me furious. That vampire was certainly one of Felipe's men, and he was trying to poison Eric. They must have known who we were when we arrived. I could imagine mine and Eric's faces on a poster titled "Wanted" Apparently the people we were trying to spy on, already knew our faces.

Deciding it would be a good time to leave and regroup; I put my arms around Eric's neck and leered at him. "I think you should take me home big boy" I said in my fake tipsy voice.

He growled at me and pulled my hand to help me out of the booth. We took a few steps towards the door when the vampire who handed Eric a drink stepped back in front of us.

"Leaving so soon? You haven't even touched your drink" He said with an icy edge to his voice. This idiot must have a death wish getting in Eric's face like that.

"I don't care for synthetic, when the real thing is much tastier." Eric said just as coldly.

"You southern vampires have no class! It will be a glorious day when my King takes over this redneck state and teaches the rest of you some manners." He hissed.

Oh crap. I noticed a few of the other vampires in the room start walking towards us and the unknown Weres were looking around on guard.

"I think you need to be taught some manners." Eric said as he grabbed the vamp's head and twisted it around backwards. It would have killed a human instantly, but it would just temporarily disable the vampire. I almost lost my lunch when I looked at where his face had been; it was now the back of his head.

Three other vampires started towards Eric as he pushed me back down into the booth. The two men went after Eric as he tried fighting them off while the red haired female vamp ran past to grab me. She jerked me up out of the booth by my left arm and reared her head back with fangs fully extended planning on ripping into my throat. Before she could clamp her fangs on my neck, a white chubby hand went around her throat and squeezed it shut. The vamp let go of me and tried to turn around and face her attacker, but instead she was impaled by a silver dagger. As she began crumbling away, I looked up to see my savior; it was Bubba!

"Bubba!" I yelled and wrapped my arms around him.

"Hey Miss Sookie. Sorry I didn't get here sooner." He said

"It's ok Bubba, let's help Eric!" I said running towards him.

He obviously didn't need my help as he had just ripped the throat out of the last of the Nevada vampires. He practically roared as he threw the vamp down and stood covered in blood from the vampires who had foolishly attempted to attack him. Honestly the sight of him in all his mini-battle glory was kinda turning me on. _Damn Sookie, be a lady._

Pam and Bill had come busting through the door and were standing on full alert mode, with fangs down and their hands ready to fight. They were scanning the crowd to see if anyone else attacked, but all that was left were the Weres who were also in fight mode, waiting to see what the vampires did.

"Everyone calm down!" Alcide's voice boomed over the music.

"Eric, Bill, Pam, the rest of these people are my brothers and sisters. They mean you no harm" He was almost panting. I could tell it was hard for him not to shift with all the blood and violence in the air.

Pam rushed over to Eric. "Master are you hurt?" She said looking him over.

"No, I'm fine my child." Eric said kissing the top of her head.

Bill was beside me in a flash, looking at the hand imprint on my arm that was slowly fading away.

"Are you hurt?" He asked me concerned.

"No I'm fine; thankfully Bubba here helped me out." I said smiling at him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Alcide said, forcing his brain back into a human pattern.

"There are traitors in your pack. Those vampires tried poisoning me and then declared they were from Nevada. They have been working with some of your wolves." Eric roared.

"The pack wouldn't work with scum like that. Those vamps were here of their own accord." Alcide said, sure his wolves wouldn't have anything to do with this.

"Bring the bartender over here"

"What do you want w…" Alcide was interrupted by Eric

"NOW!" He roared.

Ham slowly walked over to Eric and I could hear his thoughts were in a jumble. He couldn't think clearly and he was shaking worse than before. When he stood in front of Eric, his eyes were focused on the blood all over him. He looked like he was about to take a bite out of him when Eric grabbed his face and looked in his eyes.

"Have you been drinking vampire blood?" Eric snarled at the Were.

"Yes, it's wonderful. You feel like you can do anything. The world is your prey and you can run as fast and hard as you want to and won't tire. It's incredible." He said in a dreamlike state. Eric had him under his whammy; as I like to call it.

Alcide growled and went to stand beside Eric. "Why would you do that?! Drinking vampire blood is an abomination!"

"No it's not. You are. Always living by the rules and playing fair, well how far has that gotten you? My world has become so much bigger and more exciting now. You're just jealous." Ham said to Alcide.

Alcide was so mad; I could see his chest heaving as he tried to control himself.

"Pam, Bill, take the rest of the wolves one by one to the back and find out what they know about this." Eric commanded.

Bill and Pam began taking one person back at a time and glamouring them. They asked them what they knew about the Weres drinking blood and if they knew anything about the Nevada vampires plans.

"Bubba watch this animal while I'm gone." Eric said and shoved Ham towards him.

"Alcide come with me." Eric said and motioned for me to follow them.

This time we went out the back entrance of the club and stepped into the alley.

"Sookie, can you show Alcide what you saw?" He asked me.

"I'm not sure. I've only tried it on you so far, so I don't know if it only works with vampires. I can try." I said and stepped towards Alcide. I put my hands on both sides of his face and he looked at me confused.

I brought back up the image I saw of Amanda being tortured and tried to push my thoughts to Alcide. He made a slight surprised sound when he began to get the picture. "Do you see it?" I asked him.

"I see bits and pieces; I can't completely make it out." He said. I kept pushing my will on him.

"Is that Amanda? What the heck are they doing to her?" He said getting angrier.

I guess he couldn't get the image as clearly as Eric had, but he had seen enough to know something was definitely wrong.

"Jannalynn and Ham having been doing vampire blood. The King of Nevada has promised the wolves of Jackson that he will pay them handsomely for their services; both monetarily and by giving them his blood. Amanda found out and was going to tell your Father, but Janna and Ham kidnapped her and have been trying to force her to take the blood. They figure if they can get her to take it a few times, she'll be hooked and she'll want to help them."

"Where is she? Is she still alive?" He asked me.

"As far as I've seen she is, but I don't know how much longer they'll keep her alive if she doesn't come around to their way of thinking."

"This is madness! I can't believe they would betray the pack by drinking blood from a dead person! Why does Nevada even want to have the Weres under his control anyways?"

"I believe it is so they can carry out attacks on Russell's vampires during the daytime." Eric said. Apparently he had been thinking the same thing I had. "Felipe is pulling out all the stops to get to Russell because he knows how old and powerful Russell is. He will regret this treachery." Eric said with vengeance.

"I've got to find Janna before it's too late." Alcide said. "And I will have Ham's head for this betrayal of his pack sister!"

"Don't lose your cool just yet Herveaux. Let Pam and Bill find out all they can from the other wolves and perhaps her location will be revealed to you."

We walked back inside and saw that about six Weres had been sat on a couch in one corner, and Pam and Bill were on the opposite side of the room still questioning the ones that were left. Eric walked back over to Bubba who was guarding the dazed looking Hamilton.

Peering back down into his eyes, Eric decided to ask another question. "Where do you get this vampire blood from?"

"The pretty black haired vamp gives it to me" He said.

"Which black haired vamp?" Eric asked

"The one that works at the dead bar in Shreveport."

_To be continued….._

_Duh Duh Duh! There's treachery abound in Mississippi and Louisiana! Please review and let me know your thoughts! We're getting geared up for the excitement!_


	7. A Lifetime

Eric's fury was running through the bond the whole way back to Russell's house. Eric was flying us back to the mansion so Bill, Pam, and Bubba could drive the car back. The Were Hamilton had identified his contact as a pretty, black haired vampire who worked at the dead bar in Shreveport. Well the bar was obviously Fangtasia and the pretty vamp happened to be at Russell's house right now.

"Eric I know you're mad, but if you go in there all guns a blazing it's going to tip your hand to anyone else who might be involved. We need to think this through before you dole out punishment."

"I know that." He snapped. "That bitch will pay for this! No one double crosses me."

The anger rolling off him was draining me. I needed to get him to calm down and think about the long term plan. My short term plan was for him not to drop me or squeeze me to death on accident. The speed at which he was flying was almost dizzying.

"You haven't made it this far in life by acting first and thinking second Eric. You are the Sheriff of Area 5 and we're so close to bringing down Nevada. Now is the time to keep your cool and let them think that their little game is working, so when you swoop in for the kill; they won't see it coming." I gave him a devious smile.

"If I wasn't so mad right now, I would fuck you senseless for being so intelligent and cunning. It's incredibly sexy." He said showing some fang.

My cheeks flushed and I wasn't sure whether to be turned on or scared. I was a little of both.

"So let's stop and think and make a plan to catch them red handed." I said.

He slowed down and lowered us to the ground. We landed beside a lake in a community park and walked over to a bench to talk.

"When Felipe doesn't hear back from Victor or his spies that were at Club Dead, he will know they have been compromised. We won't have much time to make a move before he comes after Russell."

"I was thinking about that too. What's gonna happen when they find out I killed a high ranking vampire?" I had brought myself to ask him what I had been scared of the last two days.

"Well if everything goes right, Felipe and his retinue will be exterminated and there will be no one to make a claim against you. Also when it comes to a hostile takeover, vampires are taking their own risk. I doubt very much the Authority would even think twice about it."

"That's good to know. Alcide couldn't see my vision nearly as clear as you could. I think the blood bond makes it easier for you to get it. Let's see if I can send you a vision without touching you."

I scooted down the bench so that there was about three feet in between Eric and me. I pictured the two of us in the shower together and tried to direct my thoughts the way I directed feelings through our bond. After a few seconds I heard Eric's fangs click down and I figured he must have got the message.

"I'm guessing that worked." I stated giggling.

"Oh yes and what a vision it was."

"Ok let's try moving farther apart."

Eric was gone in a flash and I saw him about halfway around the lake. He was probably the length of a football field away from me. I used the bond to mentally locate him and then thought about the night I first saw Eric in Fangtasia. I thought about the way he looked at me in that white dress and how I saw him staring at me from across the room. I used all my will to project the thought to him.

Eric was back beside me just as quickly and smiled "I loved that dress. You looked so pure and sweet"

"Well the good news is that apparently I can projects images to you. That might really come in handy when there are other people around. Can you see anything from my mind when I'm not projecting it to you?" I purposely thought of him dancing around like a ballerina in a big pink tutu so I would know by his reaction if he was lying or not.

He looked right in my eyes for a long moment and said "No nothing; although I can feel through the bond that you are amused. It makes me wish I could see what was in your head right now."

"That's good to know. I mean I love you and I love being yoked so closely with you through our blood, but I need a little privacy just like you do." I said and gave him a reassuring kiss.

"I agree lover. Now, what are we going to do about all the snakes in the grass?"

We sat there for almost an hour formulating our plot. We discussed what we had learned and how we could go about tricking those that had betrayed us. If this didn't work, I feared what would happen to Eric and the rest of the Louisiana vampires. I was also really scared about what would happen to me. It would be terrible enough if I lost Eric, but if I was taken against my will and held captive by another vampire; it would probably be a fate worse than death.

"Come on we need to get back. My child may try to kill any she believes to be involved in the attack tonight." He smiled like only a proud parent can.

When we arrived back at the mansion, Eric luckily had his anger completely under control. We went into the main house and found Bill and Pam sitting in one of the living rooms. Gliding up to us, Eric made only the slightest wink of the eye at them.

Raising his voice for the benefit of anyone who might be listening, Eric said "Unfortunately those idiot wolves weren't able to reveal any useful information. I think we should speak with Russell about negotiating with Nevada. It seems as though he is on the losing end of the battle. It would be better for him to only lose part of his Kingdom rather than perish trying to defend it."

"I agree. Russell is a smart man, but Felipe seems to have the upper hand. We need to speak with him immediately about making the arrangements." Bill said.

"I will let him know that we need to sit down and speak with him then." Eric said and walked away to summon the King.

Half an hour later we were sitting in a formal dining room at the largest cherry wood table I had ever seen. Our meeting consisted of Sophie Ann, Andre, Eric, Pam, Bill, Felicia, Melanie, Rasul, and I from Louisiana and Russell, Talbot, Betty Jo, and three other vampires I didn't recognize from Mississippi. Eric had already told me Bubba wouldn't be at the meeting because he was out perusing the grounds for dinner of the feline variety.

"Good evening everyone, so nice of you all to join me." Russell said as if we were sitting down for a tea party.

All the vamps nodded their heads respectfully and Queen Sophie Ann began speaking.

"It is our pleasure Russell. You are a friend an ally of Louisiana and we offer you our assistance."

"Thank you Sophie Ann, I am most humbled by your offer. As things stand right now though, it appears as though I may have no choice but to try and negotiate with Nevada. I do not wish to lose everything I've worked for over this. Perhaps if I offer Felipe a few concessions in Mississippi he will not proceed with his plan for complete domination. I believe I can reason with him." Russell said smoothly.

"With all due respect your Majesty, torturing him seems like a much better option." Rasul smiled and turned to me with his fangs down. That Rasul; always the kidder.

"Oh yes, it's been a while since I've given a good torturing." Pam smiled devilishly. "I would be honored to help you with that your Majesty."

"As much as I love a good torturing child, I fear in this case it would only make things worse." Russell said.

"You shouldn't have to give up any part of your Kingdom Russell, but I do understand your desire to keep the peace between the two states. If this is your wish, I will follow your lead." Sophie Ann said.

"Your Majesty, I would be willing to set up these negotiation talks between you and Nevada if you would like for me to." Andre said to Russell.

"Yes that would be most helpful. Tell King Felipe I would like for him to be my guest here on Saturday. I welcome him and a few of his trusted advisors to come and break blood with me to discuss our arrangements."

"As you wish sir." Andre bowed and excused himself from the table to call Nevada.

"That's enough business talk for this evening." Said Russell. "I'm famished!"

Russell pushed a button on the intercom on his end of the table. He didn't speak into it, but a few minutes later his wait staff brought out several crystal decanters of warm Royal blend blood. The last waiter was pushing a cart with two covered dishes on it. Hopefully those were for me and Talbot, considering we didn't drink blood; at least not for meals. The waiter put the tray down in front of me and pulled the lid off. There was a perfectly cooked filet mignon with a loaded baked potato underneath. Hearing the loud growl my stomach made when I smelled the food, it dawned on me that I hadn't eaten since the finger foods I had at lunch.

I knew Eric didn't mind when I ate, but I felt weird eating in front of other vampires because I know it makes some of them uncomfortable. Bill had made me perfectly aware of that when we were dating. At this point, I was so hungry I didn't care.

"Sookie I adore this black dress you're wearing! Who is the designer?" Talbot said to me

"Thanks! It's not a designer label, just a pretty dress I bought from my friend's store." I said feeling a little embarrassed.

As he touched the lace strap of my dress, I saw a flash of a thought cross his mind. I kept the smile on my face and continued eating. As I chewed my steak, I was sending Eric the thought I had picked up from Talbot. On the outside, he didn't so much as bat an eyelash out of place; on the inside though he was fuming again. About an hour later we all left the dinner table and Eric and I went to our guest house, while the others stayed in the mansion.

As soon as we entered the house, Eric zipped around from room to room checking for anything out of place and sampling the air to be sure no one had been in our quarters. When he was satisfied we were alone and undisturbed he grabbed me and carried me to the bedroom.

"Eric as much as I would love to have hours of hot sex with you, I think there are more pressing matters right now." I said in between him letting me come up for air.

"Lover I need you to take my blood. I want you to be strong and your skills as accurate as possible for tomorrow. We are going to war." He said before tearing my panties off.

"Tomorrow? I thought the plan was for Thursday?" I asked trying to keep my train of thought as he was licking my nipples.

"It was until what you showed me at dinner. I realized we needed to do this even quicker than I had originally planned. If Nevada thinks they are coming to Mississippi for a visit on Saturday, then we will mount an attack on them tomorrow when they aren't ready. You will need to travel with us to ensure that anyone who gets near the coffins is truly who they say they are. We only have a few hours before I'll be dead until tomorrow evening and there is much to do."

Before I could say anything else, Eric had pushed me down onto him and I realized that I didn't care if I was about to be put in the middle of a vampire war because right now Eric was making good on his threat from earlier to screw me senseless. When we were both almost screaming with pleasure, I bent down over him and bit into his neck. The intensity of his orgasm combined with mine made me lightheaded. I knew it was taking every bit of his control not to bite me, but he wanted me functioning at peak condition for what we were heading into.

When we finished, Eric grabbed his phone and called Pam.

"Come to the guest house and bring Bill; make sure you aren't followed." He said and hung up the phone.

I pulled a long cotton dress over my head and started pacing the rooms, packing our things and thinking of what all I needed to do to prepare myself for the next two days. I realized I was acting erratic because of Eric's excitement over going into battle. If he lived to be 3000 years old, he would still be the Viking warrior he was at 20. Honestly I think a little of the excitement was coming from me too. Sure I was scared that I would get beaten up or possibly killed, but the other part of me was thrilled that these douche bags were about to walk into a trap and I was going to be a part of it.

Bill and Pam knocked so lightly on the door, only Eric heard them. They came in and took a seat on the couch. By the way Bill was grimacing and Pam was smiling like the cat that ate the canary; I figured they could smell the sex and blood in the air from a few minutes before.

"We have to move quickly. We will be leaving on a private Anubis Airlines jet on the flight to Nevada at ten A.M. You need to dress for tomorrow night's activities, including any weapons you want to have, and secure yourselves in your coffin. As soon as we wake tomorrow, there won't be much time so we have to be ready." Eric was pacing the room, giving out instructions and texting at vamp speed.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" I asked my honey.

"You, dear one will need to get some rest very soon. You will be taken to the airport with all the Louisiana and Nevada vampires on a bus that will pick us all up at nine. When we get to the hotel, make sure we are secured in our rooms before you go anywhere. There will be five rooms with six vampires in each room and you will be the only one with access to all the rooms." Then he turned his attention to Pam. "You and Bill need to speak with Melanie, Rasul, and Bubba about the plans. Do not speak to anyone else; not any of Russell's or Sophie Ann's retinue about this. It is imperative that you speak with them somewhere private. I've handled the rest of our people who are on their way here as we speak. Russell will inform his vampires as well."

"How am I going to supervise all of you guys by myself? I mean, I don't mind doing it but I'm worried that by myself I won't be much of a threat." I said sheepishly.

"Actually your friend Alcide and his friend Tray Dawson have volunteered to go with you and keep you safe as you get everything set up. They will meet you at the airport at 9:30." Eric said. "The Were Tray has worked for me before and performed very efficiently. He has even offered to be glamoured to prove he is no traitor. As far as animals go, he is half decent."

"Dang Eric, don't gush over him or anything" I said mockingly.

Ignoring my last comment, Eric gave Bill and Pam a few more directions before telling them to get back to the house and perform their duties. When we were alone again, I felt anxious about the talk I was about to have with Eric.

"Eric I know you're busy, but I need to talk to you and it can't wait."

Putting his phone down, he put his hands on my arms and said "Of course lover. Are you alright? I can feel your tension."

We sat down on the couch and I told him to wait there for a minute while I walked into the bedroom. I came back and sat beside him. Before I could explain, I saw him sniff the air.

"Claudine came to visit me this morning and she had a gift from my great grandfather. She gave me this vial." I said showing it to him. "It's a potion that Niall had made especially for me. If I choose to take it, it will make me closer to being a true Faery." I paused for a moment to gather his reaction. "Apparently I'll have more powers, though we don't know for sure what they will be. Claudine said whatever powers lie dormant inside me from my Fae heritage will be brought out. She also said I'll be strong and lethal like she is. I've been thinking about it all day and I planned on talking to you about it when we got home, but the way things are going; if I'm going to use it I might need to do it now. What do you think?"

"What he has given you is truly rare Sookie. I haven't heard of a Faery granting a partial Faery more powers in probably 800 years. I think it's an incredible gift, but what's important is what you think."

"Honestly part of me does want to take it. I feel more like a Supe than a human anyways and I might as well be able to reap the benefits of it. There is a small part of me that's scared too. There's something else I didn't tell you about the potion; if I take it, I'll have a life span closer to a true Fae. I could possibly live for many, many centuries. I'll even stay looking young and beautiful like Claudine has." Eric's eyes widened. "That exhilarates me because it's more time I could spend with you without having to be vampire, but I worry that I'll do it and then you will grow tired of me soon after. What if you toss me to the side after 20 or 30 years and then all my friends and family will be elderly and I'll be unchanged and alone." I had to suppress the tears I could feel forming. I knew the pain of rejection all too well and I didn't think I could bear it from Eric.

"This is the most wonderful news I have ever heard." He said pulling me close to him. "If I could spend 100 lifetimes with you, it still wouldn't be enough. You, my love are a precious treasure and I would never toss you aside. I will not tell you what to choose because I want that to be completely up to you, but know that any extra time I have with you whether it is ten years or one thousand; I will enjoy every minute of it." I could not only see the truth of his words in his eyes, I could feel them running through me. "The only thing I do worry about is that if you are almost a full Faery, how will I control myself or other vampires around you? Will you smell like a Faery?"

"I thought about that too. I called Claudine today and told her my worries and she assured me that Niall took my lifestyle into account when the potion was made. She said I may smell just slightly sweeter, but I won't be vampire crack like she is."

Eric leaned in and kissed me tenderly while running his hands through my hair.

"I truly love you Eric."

"Jag älskar dig med allt som jag är." (_I love you with everything that I am) _He said softly.

I pulled back out of his embrace and swallowed every drop in the vial.

...

_I hope you guys are ready for a fight! We're hopping a plane to Nevada to kick some cape wearing vampire ass!_


	8. Count Von Count

My alarm clock went off just a few short hours after falling asleep. I didn't sleep well at all. Between the energy humming through me from two doses of Eric's blood and my Faery cocktail; I was practically beaming with magic. I quickly put on my clothes and brought mine and Eric's bags to the door of the main house and sat down to wait on the charter bus. Deciding I had a few minutes to kill, I took the chance to see if I had any new powers I didn't know about. I walked to the side of the house and stood in front of a large magnolia tree. The flowers that had popped up in the spring were now gone, leaving lush, green leaves instead. I waved my hand side to side in front of the tree and thought of the beautiful white flowers covering the tree once again. The blooms popped up and filled the tree all over again.

Pretty cool, I thought. I already knew I had that ability, even though it seemed to be more powerful. Now I wanted to see what else I could do. I imagined myself popping across the yard like I had seen Claudine do so many times. Nothing. Ok, apparently I couldn't pop. Since my godmother said I would be much stronger, I couldn't help but see if I had Hulk-like capabilities. Eyeing the yard to make sure no one was looking, I walked over to the rental car parked in front of guest house and reached under it to try and lift it. I definitely couldn't lift the whole car like a vamp would be able to, but I was able to lift the back end and reposition it. Wow!

I really wanted to see what kind of new mental abilities I had, but I heard the bus coming up the driveway. I hurried back over to the front of the mansion and reached out mentally to discern who was on the bus. There were four men and I dipped into each of their heads before they even made it up the long drive.

_This place is so nice. Must be good to be the King of the vampers. At least he tips really good_.

_They see me rollin', they hatin', they tryin to catch me riding dirty, tryin to catch me ridin dirty_…

_My back sure is gonna be hurting after lifting ten coffins. Maybe Sara will give me one of her famous massages later. I'd almost be willing to hurt myself to get her hands on me._

_Remember what the vamp on the phone said, don't scratch his coffin or check out the blonde's ass and he'll leave us all a nice tip_.

Their thoughts were comical, but definitely not dangerous. That was one thing to relax about. Probably the last thing I could relax about in the next 24 hours. The driver was a tall, brown haired man with a nice smile. According to his name tag, his name was Brent.

"Good morning ma'am. Are you Ms. Stackhouse?" He asked extending his hand.

"Yes, good morning to you as well."

"Mr. Northman said you would be showing us where the coffins were we need to pick up?"

"Sure. The first one is in that little house over to the right. The others are in the main house and I'll show you whenever you're ready. Not to sound ignorant, but are you guys going to carry all the coffins to the bus and them load them because that seems awfully hard."

"Not exactly. We'll back the bus up to the front of the house and carry them to a mobilized platform on the back of the bus. We can set two on it at a time and then raise the platform electronically and it will slide them into special holders inside the bus. It's really pretty cool."

"Oh ok, that does sound easier." He must have notice the slight apprehension in my voice because he replied "Don't worry ma'am, we've done this many times and we'll be very careful with your friends"

"Thanks, I appreciate that." I replied sweetly. "Ok, well come this way and let's get started."

Looking behind him to the other three men, we all stepped up to the door of the mansion. Rafe; one of Russell's Weres greeted us.

"Good morning Ms. Stackhouse. Are these gentlemen here to pick up our passengers?"

"Yes, I was just going to show them which ones to grab."

"I assume all is well then" He said questioningly. He was wondering if I had checked them out mentally before allowing them this close to the house. Rafe's family had worked for Russell for several decades; he had even volunteered to be read by me to prove his loyalty to the King.

"Yes, all is perfect." I smiled.

"Alright, well go on in. I'll let the other guys know you're coming through." He said and leaned over to speak into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder.

I walked to the first guest room where Pam, Bill, and Bubba were staying. Two of the men picked up Pam's coffin while the other two picked up Bill. Two came back and picked up Bubba, while I walked the other men down to the next room where Melanie and Rasul were staying. It only took about ten minutes for them to retrieve Betty Jo, Alonzo, Remus, and Kimiko; they were the three vamps I didn't recognize at dinner last night. Russell Edgington seemed to be collecting vampires from all different parts of the world and from many different centuries. Knowing his playful spirit and the way he liked to be constantly entertained, I figured he did it just for his own excitement.

We walked back over to the guest house where they retrieved Eric. Brent told me I could go ahead and wait on the bus after I showed him where to get Eric from, but I insisted on walking beside them the whole way over while they carried him out. He was precious cargo to me after all. I got on the bus and found myself fascinated by the motorized shelving system they had custom fitted inside. There were six coffins stacked neatly in their own slots on one side and the remaining four on the other side. The bus had capacity for twelve, so we were good. I sat at the front of the bus in one of only four regular seats.

We arrived at the airport at 9:35 and even though I didn't like the thought of leaving Eric alone, I walked over to the lobby connected to our private hangar to find Alcide.

"Sookie over here!" Alcide said from across the room.

"Hey! Thanks so much for coming with me Alcide, it means a lot. You too Tray, I really appreciate it." I said giving my traveling companions a quick hug.

"It's the least we could do; especially after what you found out last night at the club." Alcide said.

"Did you find Amanda?" I asked him feeling a knot in my stomach.

"Yea a few hours after you guys left. My dad called some of the guys in the pack and had them search all the properties that Ham or Jannalynn had access to. They found Janna high as a kite and after a little scrap with her, they restrained her and took Amanda to my dad's farm and called Dr. Ludwig. She said the burns in her mouth would heal in a few days and she only had a trace of vampire blood in her. I still can't believe they would do something so terrible to their own pack sister."

"It's a damn disgrace!" Tray piped in.

"I'm sorry about her suffering but I'm so glad you got to her in time. What did you do with Ham and Janna?" I asked.

"They're being held in a safe location until they come down completely off the V. After that, they'll face a tribunal with the entire pack and we'll decide their punishment." He said grimly.

I had been keeping an eye on the men loading the coffins while I was talking to Alcide and Tray. I could see them through the window which made me much more comfortable.

Another man stepped into the lobby wearing a suit and a gold pin in the shape of wings on his lapel.

"Good morning. My name is Jeff Barnes and I'll be your pilot today. The crew has informed me that all guests have been properly loaded and if you all are ready, we can get on our way."

Dipping into his thoughts, I could tell he preferred working for Anubis Airlines because he thought it was more quiet and peaceful than the large commercial flights he used to do.

"Sure, let's get going." I said and walked with Tray and Alcide out to the plane.

During the flight, we made small talk and Alcide asked what I planned on doing when the "fangers" started brawling.

"Sookie I don't want you anywhere near them, you're gonna get yourself killed." He said.

"Alcide I appreciate the concern, but I'm no dainty little flower" I said smirking. I couldn't tell him that I had quite a bit of my own power I could use to fight back against a vampire.

"No you're not, but you're no match against a vampire Sookie! Surely you know that?"

"I have no intentions of putting myself in the middle of a war, but I won't let the people I care about go down without one hell of a fight either." I said it with a tone that let him know that was the end of the discussion.

Dropping the subject, he told me that no matter what he and Tray would have my back while we were in Nevada.

"This is your Captain. We will be approaching Nevada in approximately 15 minutes. Please watch for the seat belt sign when we are preparing to land."

Taking that as my cue, I took my small duffel bag and headed to the bathroom. Lucky for me it was double the size of a normal airplane bathroom. I pinned my hair on top of my head with several bobby pins and flipped my head over to pull the shoulder length red wig on. It was funny looking at myself in the mirror with red hair and I decided if Eric and I made it through the night, I would hold onto the wig for some role play with my Viking. The idea was to not look like me and it was working. When I stepped back out into the plane, Alcide and Tray both did a double take.

"What in the world are you doing?" Tray asked laughing.

"Since the Nevada vamps that were spying in Mississippi all seemed to recognize my face, I figured I better go incognito. What do you think, is red my color?" I asked playfully flipping my hair.

"Any color is your color" Alcide said.

I tried not to hear the thoughts he was broadcasting and instead went and buckled into my seat. About five minutes later we touched down and gathered our bags to unload. It was 1:45 in the afternoon and still about six hours until the vampires would rise. We waited outside the plane to watch all the coffins being unloaded and put into another bus similar to the one that had picked us up that morning. As we were getting on the bus, I leaned over to my Were companions and whispered "by the way, call me Lexi"

We were staying at Felipe's hotel, Midnight Moon; and it was right in the middle of the Vegas strip. If we weren't in the middle of a war, I would have loved to see the city. Vampires had brought a lot of drama and action into my life, but I had also been able to see more of the United States in the last few months working for the Queen than I had my entire life. Eric and I would definitely have to come back here to visit if our plan worked out this evening.

The bus pulled up to a huge steel door that looked like it led to an underground parking garage and our driver flashed a badge at the security guard. The gate opened slowly and we pulled in, with the door shutting behind us. The door, I realized was to keep the garage light tight for traveling vampires. It was eerie riding through the pitch black with only the headlights shining in the darkness. We pulled up to a set of automatic glass doors and I finally saw a few lights on.

"Mrs. Davenport this is your entrance." The driver said turning to face us.

"What about the vampires?" I asked.

"We unload them and take them in through that entrance" He said pointing to another set of automatic doors. "The human entrance leads to a well-lit hallway and elevators. Typically we take the vampires in through the other entrance which is only dimly lit and has bigger elevators for the coffins."

"We would like to stay with our guests if that's alright. I don't mind taking the other entrance."

"Neither do I." Tray and Alcide said in unison.

"Of course. Just watch your step ma'am as it is fairly dark." He said kindly.

We rode the elevators up to the lobby where Alcide and I stepped off to check into the rooms. Tray rode with the staff on the elevator several times while they brought all the coffins up and wheeled them to a separate part of the lobby that was heavily guarded. It was sort of a staging area for arriving vamps.

Walking through the lobby, I realized this was one of the nicest hotels I'd ever been in. The floors were beautiful, charcoal colored granite with intricate black swirls spread throughout. The windows were of course UV resistant since it was a vampire hotel, but the crystal chandeliers made up for the lack of sunlight.

"Hi I'm Lexi Davenport and this is my husband Alcide. We're here with the rest of the Fangless Reformers Anonymous party. I believe the rest of our group has already checked in." I said giving the receptionist a fake southern twang much worse than my natural one.

"Ah yes Mr. & Mrs. Davenport we have your info right here" She said. "Three of the five rooms have been checked into already. The note on the account says that you are to get a key to each of the rooms. Here are all five key cards, and I've labeled what room they go with."

"Thank you very much! You've been very helpful." I smiled sweetly at her.

"No problem. I just have to say I think what you and your husband are doing is wonderful. Providing a support group for vampires who have lost their fangs, it's touching." She said.

"Well all of God's creatures deserve a second chance. That's what we say right honey?" I said tapping Alcide's ribs.

"Sure poodle." He said playfully.

"Enjoy your stay and let me know if you need anything at all."

I had to suppress my laughter as we walked away from the desk. Poor girl, someone so gullible really shouldn't be working with vampires.

I motioned for Tray to go to the 15th floor. He would ride the elevator up with Eric and Pam first to my room.

Surprisingly everything went smoothly for the next hour as one of us rode the elevator with the staff to bring all of our vamps up. Once they were all situated in their rooms, I went to each of the other rooms as Eric had instructed me and checked that everyone was accounted for.

Alcide and Tray had a room right across the hall from mine, but they insisted on staying with me until Eric rose for the evening.

"Alright let's get to work." I said in a chipper voice.

I explained to the guys what I needed to do in the next few hours and how they could help. After agreeing on our meet up point, I grabbed my bag and headed to the bathroom to get changed. I pulled out the tight, black, leather vest that was to serve as my top and squeezed into the matching black leather booty shorts. Eric had found out the uniform the servers wore in the club downstairs and had sent Pam out in Jackson to get me a replica. She had thoroughly enjoyed showing me what I would be wearing in battle. We used the Fangless Reformers Anonymous cover to rent the rooms so Felipe's people wouldn't get suspicious with so many vamps checking in at once. If I pretended to work for the club though, I could get closer to him and scope out the area.

I put on some makeup to complete the look. A dark smoky eye and pink lips along with big curls in my new red hair and I was ready to go. I imagined this was what Arlene might have looked like ten years ago.

"OOOWWWW" Tray howled when I stepped out.

Alcide just looked at him and growled. _Men_, I thought.

"So you guys go ahead and I'll be at the club. Meet you later where we talked about." I said.

"Ok Sookie; be careful." Alcide said as they walked out.

I picked up my purse and double checked that I had everything in it I might need. Lip gloss, a brush, a wallet with about $100, a credit card, and my other ID. When I started working for the Queen, she thought it might come in handy to have an ID made up with my alter ego, Lexi Davenport. She had also given me a business credit card with the same name. It had come in handy when I didn't want people I'm spying on to know my real name, like right now.

I went to the main floor of the hotel and turned right off the elevator, away from the lobby. At the end of the hall there was a sign that said "Blood On The Moon" nightclub. I walked in and saw a few employees walking around setting up tables and cleaning the bar. They were getting set up for the night and I started latching onto brains to find out who I should talk to. I saw a short, sandy haired man wearing a suit and holding a clipboard; he looked like a manager so I figured it was my best shot.

"Hi I'm Lexi; your new server." I said smiling and shaking his hand.

"Oh hi, I'm Mark. You say you're a new server?" He asked confused.

I was sorting through his thoughts trying to plan my next answer.

_Did Phil hire a new girl? He didn't tell me about it. Just like him to hire someone without even consulting me. She's really hot though, the vamps will love her. _

"Yea I was hired by Phil. He said there would be a good looking guy here in charge when I came in my first night; I can see he must have been talking about you." I said batting my eyelashes.

"Oh well, you know, I uh.. so what time did you want to start because we aren't open for a few hours."

"I was hoping I could go ahead and start now if that's alright? I wanted to have a chance to get familiar with everything before it gets busy tonight."

"Yea that's a good idea. Just go over there with Sabrina and she'll show you around." He said pointing to a young girl dressed like me.

I walked up to the girl who was probably only about 21 and introduced myself (Lexi that is.) The girl was tall and very blonde with a small waist and pouty lips. I'm sure the vamps and humans both liked her.

"Hi, nice to meet you." I said.

"Oh hey, I didn't know they were hiring anyone else right now. That's totally cool you're here though, I have mad prep work to do. Damn you've got great boobs, the fangers are gonna eat you up!"

"Uh thanks. You want to show me around first?" I asked her.

"Sure let's go!" She walked me over to the bar and said "Here's the bar, just type your drink and food orders on one of the computers and when it's ready, they'll put it on that side with the ticket." She said pointing to an area of the bar with empty trays. "That guy over there is Ashton; he's one of the bartenders. If you flirt with him he'll make your drink orders first, but he sucks in bed so don't waste your time beyond work."

This girl had no filter at all and if I wasn't trying to pick up all the information I could, I would be shielding really hard right now. She was thinking about the night she went home with Ashton and how lousy he ended up being in bed. She still flirted with him at work though so he would make her drinks faster than the other girl's orders.

"Thanks for the tip" I said playfully.

We walked around for a few more minutes while she pointed out where everything was and how to act around the vampires to make the most money. Little did she know, I had way more experience with them than I really wanted to. While I had toured the club with her, I kept my eyes open for hiding spots and vantage points we could use.

"Felipe is the owner of the hotel and club; he usually gets here around nine. You'll know who he is immediately by the greasy black hair and crazy outfit he wears." She said laughing. "He looks like a mix between Count Chocula and Pauly D! He'll sit back here with his entourage." She said pointing to a private lounge covered by a heavy red curtain.

I couldn't help but crack up at her description of the King of Nevada. Eric was really going to enjoy killing this grease ball; probably even more than I did taking out his little sidekick Victor.

After I finished my little internship with Sabrina, I excused myself and went up to Alcide and Tray's room.

"Did you get what I asked you for?" I said quietly.

"Yea we got everything. Here." Tray said handing me a small black bag.

"Ok. They think I'm the new waitress, so I was able to scope everything out. I'm going back down there to set up and I need you guys to create a distraction for me."

"I think we can do that" Alcide said grinning.

A few minutes later I had walked back into the club with my purse filled with the supplies Tray had given me. Alcide and Tray walked through the door of the club wearing only some low hung jeans and cowboy boots. Shirtless and flexing their huge muscles, all the girls that were setting up ran over to them.

"Hi pretty ladies. We're here to be the entertainment for tonight." Alcide said smoothly.

"Oh wow!" "I didn't know we were getting strippers, awesome!" "Yum" The girls were fawning all over them when Mark walked over to see what the commotion was.

"We didn't hire any strippers" He said sternly to the Weres.

"I think you might need to check that again partner, we were hired to perform tonight through Sunday and you can't back out now." Tray said playing along.

"I can assure you there's been some kind of mistake, we don't have strippers here." Mark said getting angry.

"Don't be a buzz kill Mark! I'm sure everyone would love to see their package, I mean performance" Sabrina was saying while rubbing herself against Alcide like a cat in heat.

While they argued and distracted everyone, I took the time to strategically place several wooden stakes around the room out of sight. I had considered having the guys get me some liquid silver spray, but I was afraid the vamps would smell it if I got close to them before it was time for the main event.

Having done all I could to prepare myself, I went back up to my room. Alcide and Tray had left right after me when they "realized" they were at the wrong club and apologized to Mark. To pass the last hour before the vamps would be up; I called and ordered some room service. I ate a side caesar salad and a bowl of spaghetti and washed it down with a glass of Riesling. In case I was badly injured or killed tonight, I wanted to at least have one of my favorite meals first.

The sun had just set over the horizon when I felt Eric stir in my blood. It wasn't dark yet but he was old enough that he could wake a little sooner than younger vampires. I hid behind the bathroom door and waited for him to sniff me out. When he was right outside the door, I opened it and stepped out.

"Good evening Mr. Northman. What can I do for you this evening?" I said with one hand on my hip.

He looked me up and down taking in my alter ego Lexi, and let out a low growl.

I was instantly hot for him and jumped into his arms. I kissed him with a fire in my touch while I forgot about everything else around us. Right now there was no takeover, no war, no battle coming; it was just me and my love alone in our bond. I let the feeling overtake me for a minute before I gently pulled away from him.

"I think I'm going to make a nick name for you since you always call me lover." I said grinning at him.

"And what would that be?" He asked smirking.

"How about panty soaker? It seems appropriate." I said with a serious face.

"I like this nick name, but perhaps you should only call me that in private. I wouldn't want anyone getting jealous of my outstanding sexual prowess. Well, more jealous than they already are."

"You are so bad!" I said giving him a little spank.

"If you two could stop eye fucking each other for a minute, we have grown up things to deal with" Pam said walking up behind Eric.

"I assure you Pamela, if I could fuck her with my eyes she would already be dripping" He said with a fangy grin.

"I'm sure master, now back to business. Are we ready to take out these pathetic Dracula wannabes? I'd like to get this over with; I have a mani/pedi at midnight." Pam said while putting her lipstick on.

I saw Bill out of the corner of my eye, heating up a True Blood for him and Bubba.

"Is everything ready Sookie?" Bill asked.

"Yep. Alcide and Tray went and got the supplies on the list and I've already planted them in the club. There are stakes behind the speakers near the DJ booth, two more at the entrance in a big glass vase, three are hidden in a plant right beside Felipe's private booth and the other one is right here" I said turning around and lifting the back of my vest shirt to expose a flattened stake Alcide made for me tucked under my bra strap. "It wasn't hard at all getting them to think I was a new waitress, so I've been down the checking everything out. The head waitress told me Felipe and his entourage usually arrives around nine and there is about ten of them. She also said there are usually some humans with them"

"You've done excellent lover. I know you worry for the humans, but we will try to spare who we can. Hopefully when they see that a fight is about to happen, they will flee on their own. If not then it's natural selection." Eric said.

"Eric!" I said poking him in the ribs. Truthfully I didn't really think what he said was mean since if they were dumb enough to stick around a vamp fight then maybe it was natural selection.

Looking at me Bill said "Sookie you can leave the club when I give you a cue."

"Thanks Bill, but I'm not going anywhere. This affects all of our lives and I'm not leaving you guys. Besides; I've already taken care of his second; I've got a few tricks of my own."

Bill and Pam looked at me surprised at hearing I had taken out Victor myself. Well Bill looked surprised, Pam looked delighted.

"Sookie this is dangerous, you could get killed" Bill said getting frustrated.

I held my hand up and summoned my powers and let the light glow in my hand while they watched for a few seconds. Releasing it on a book that was sitting on the coffee table, it caught on fire and burned up quickly.

Bubba; who was sitting across the room watching TV, looked up and said "Wow Miss Sookie, where'd ya learn to do that?"

"I always knew you were far superior to a human" Pam said appreciatively.

"I thought you might say that lover. I brought you a present." He said and walked back to his coffin. He came back and handed me a much smaller version of his sword. "En stor krigare behöver ett stort svärd" (_A great warrior needs a great sword_)

"Eric thank you; it's beautiful." I said taking the sword in my hands. Surprisingly I felt completely at ease and very powerful.

_He loves her so much_…

I almost gasped when I realized I had heard Pam's thought. Maybe all of Eric's blood I took last night was catching up with me.

"Come, we need to check in with everyone else and let them know that we are ready." Eric said indicating we should all follow him. "Sookie call Herveaux and have him check the hallway before we come out."

I grabbed my phone and sent him a text telling him what to do. About two minutes later I got a response saying "clear" so we walked down the hall and I slid my key card into Betty Jo's door. The vamps inside spun around quickly but immediately backed down when Eric walked in first.

Betty and her comrades; Alonzo, Remus, and Kimiko were strapping on their weapons. It dawned on me after looking at them that all of our vampires were wearing a pin on their shirt with an eagle in the center.

"What is that?" I asked pointing to Eric's pin.

"We are wearing the state seal of Mississippi to help distinguish between friend and foe." He said.

Well that seemed awfully smart. I wondered how I would be distinguished.

Seeing the look on my face, Eric said "Do not worry lover, even with your disguise, all Mississippi and Louisiana vampires know who you are. They know to protect you with their lives."

"But Eric they don't have to…" I started but was interrupted.

"Yes they do. You are the companion of their Sheriff as well as a protected employee of their Queen. Russell's vampires have sworn their allegiance because you are an ally to their King."

Now I was getting nervous. I didn't want anyone dying to save me and I certainly couldn't spot that little pin as fast as a vamp would be able to.

Eric looked at Bubba "do you remember what I've told you to do?"

"Yes Mr. Eric. Get the King's attention and then watch Miss Sookie's back. I wouldn't let anyone hurt Miss Sookie; she's one of my best friends."

"Thank you Bubba, same goes for you. I've got your back" I said smiling.

There was a knock at the door and I grabbed Eric's arm, "Eric there's a lot of vamps outside."

"It's ok, they are allies. I sent Bill to gather everyone together."

Betty opened the door and let everyone in. After Eric told everyone the plan for the night, he pulled me aside and kissed me passionately.

"Be careful my love. Call me through the bond when you're ready." He said.

"Ok" I kissed him again and headed downstairs to the club. When I came in, I could see that it wasn't full yet since they hadn't been open long. I didn't see Mark or Sabrina, so I casually started walking around asking people if I could get them a drink. I may not be a professional warrior, but waitressing, that I could do.

I served cocktails and appetizers to several humans and Weres, with just a few vampires hanging around this early in the night. It was half past nine when I felt the atmosphere in the club change; Felipe and twelve of his vampires walked in the door. Even over the loud music, I could tell that the humans and Supes had registered their presence. Felipe looked exactly like Sabrina described. He had his black hair slicked back and black dress pants with a crimson button down shirt. The man had a cape. Yes he actually had a freakin cape. _Who the hell does he think he is_, I thought. The group headed over to their special VIP area and disappeared behind the curtain.

I knew we had over double the vampires that Felipe did, but once the fighting started I knew that ones who were loyal to him in the hotel would come to his aid. I made my way to the back of the club, through the kitchen and found a staff entrance door in the rear of the club. Opening it, there was a hallway that I assumed was the service entrance to the kitchen. I followed it until I came across the service elevators. I pulled my cell out of my apron pocket and texted Eric.

_Felipe is here..fifteen vamps total in club..four Weres…take the service elevator in the east wing down to main floor and I'll be waiting_.

I waited by the elevator door, almost sweating I was getting so antsy. I could feel the surge of adrenaline pumping through me from Eric. I pushed my own determination back at him. The elevator beeped when the car arrived and as soon as the doors opened, half of our thirty vamps stepped off looking thirsty for blood. The elevator was recalled to the 15th floor to pick up the other half of our group.

"I brought your sword dear one. I'll hold it until we're ready to go in." Eric said. His fangs were halfway down because of the battle lust that was driving him.

"Ok, I'm going to make sure we're ready. Wait outside the service door at the end of this hall and I'll open it when it's time."

I hurried off back inside the club and as I was coming through the kitchen, Sabrina caught up with me.

"Hey girl I was looking for you! I thought you totally went AWOL" She said

"Nope, I was just looking for some more limes."

"Oh the guys in the back will get that stuff, we don't do anything except look pretty and serve overpriced drinks" She said smiling.

"Cool" I said playing along. She drug me back out to the bar and glanced over to see that Felipe had stationed two of his men on guard outside the lounge.

I could mentally hear some of the customers in the club thinking that they were seeing a really good impersonator and they had never seen a vampire impersonator of Elvis before, so I knew Bubba must be here.

He strolled through the club, walking up to the private lounge. He was talking to Felipe's guards, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. The vamp standing guard looked at him closely for a minute before ducking into the lounge. After a moment, four human women walked out and the guard motioned for Bubba to go in. Go Bubba! I looked over at Sabrina who was still talking to me about some vamp who paid her $500 to bite her one night, when I interrupted her.

"Sorry girl emergency, you know how Aunt Flow is, gotta run!" I said and took off towards the back.

I slowed down long enough to get past the cooks and then ran to the service door. I opened it and my Viking who had already felt me approaching, grabbed my head and kissed me before turning to the others and saying "show no mercy" and I heard tons of fangs simultaneously pop out. He thrust my sword into my hand and they took off at vamp speed.

I heard the humans scream before I even made it back to the club. The vamps were already in and had immediately found Felipe's lounge. All his underlings were guarding him and fighting with our vamps.

Bubba blurred in front of me and caught a Were who was mid change coming towards me. He slung him against the wall and we kept moving forward. I could see Bill and Pam swinging their blades and fighting off the vampires who had swarmed them. Eric was truly magnificent in his speed and fury. He was fighting off several vampires at once, trying to make his way to Felipe.

Luckily the humans had run out the door when things got crazy, but now about 20 more vampires and several Weres came rushing through. Bubba did his best to stay in front of me but we were quickly surrounded. While Bubba was fighting off a Were who seemed to be jacked up on V, a large gangly vampire ran up to me and hissed "Aw a human with a sword, I'm so scared" he leaped for me but I was just as quick swinging my blade and nearly sliced his head off his shoulders. He fell to the ground and tried to push his head back onto his body. With all the fighting and commotion going on around me, it was hard to stay focused on all sides.

I was grabbed from behind and the girl almost jerked my arms out of socket holding them back so tightly. She leaned her head down to bite into my neck when I threw my head back as hard as I could hitting her in the face. It stunned her but she didn't let go, she just hissed at me "You will regret that you little bitch!" She spun around to my front bringing my arms with her, so she could face me. If only I could use my hands I could grab the stake that was only about ten feet from me behind a speaker. As the thought came across my mind, I saw the stake lift up and hover from the table. I used all my will and imagined the stake going through her back into her heart and sure enough it flew through the air and impaled her. Her face showed the horror for only a second before she exploded in front of me and started flaking at my feet.

_Holy shit I have telekinesis!_ I picked up my sword from where it had fallen on the ground and ran towards the lounge. Eric was still raging at vampire after vampire as they tried to stop him. Felipe had backed all the way into the corner and four of his vampires were protecting him. I looked over to see a huge, barbarian looking man swing his sword and catch Bill in his rib cage. I focused on one of the other hidden stakes and propelled it mentally through the vamp's dead heart. Bill turned to look at me shocked only for a moment before he was fighting off another attack. I took a hard kick from my left side that sent me to the ground. I reached up and grabbed the foot of my attacker and twisted as hard as I could. He screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. Realizing he was one of the King's Weres, I tried to stand back up but he swiped my calf with one of his paws. He was still in human form but his hands were now paws and they cut ribbons into my calf; the pain was terrible. I screamed out in rage and grabbed my sword and plunged it through his chest. I didn't know if Eric was sending me extra fight mojo or if I had tapped into my Fae side, but either way I didn't slow down with the injury; I fought harder.

I could see that many of the Nevada vamps were down because I saw mostly Mississippi pins left. Eric threw off his last kill and glared at the vamps surrounding Felipe. Bubba was back at my side and trying to pull me away, but I felt a strength inside me like I never had before. Gripping my sword, I took off for Eric and stopped right beside him, holding my sword up ready. He actually shot me a quick grin before jumping at Felipe's guards. Following his lead, I took off after him and took out the first guard quickly. He had his eyes only on Eric and didn't think I was a threat; not until my blade sunk into his stomach and traveled up to his throat at least. Three more vamps ran up behind me and Eric and I noticed Betty Jo was slowly fighting her way towards us. Bubba grabbed one of the vampires by the throat but she wasn't going down without a fight. She flung her leg up and pushed her stiletto heel through his stomach.

"Bubba" I yelled and sent a stake flying through the air to land in his hand.

He gripped it and plunged it into her chest. My back was almost against Eric's so I could protect him from approaching threats when I saw Pam on the ground bleeding profusely from a silver dagger stuck in her side. Another vampire was holding her down and bit into her neck. She was fighting as hard as she could but she was bleeding out too fast to regenerate her energy. I felt the fire of rage burn inside me as I rushed over and without thinking twice I swung my sword and decapitated him. Kneeling down beside her, I pulled the silver dagger out and she screamed in pain.

"Pam oh God are you ok?!" I said lifting her head into my lap.

"I almost had him Tinkerbelle; you just had to show off" She definitely sounded like Pam so hopefully she would be fine.

Bill and Betty Jo were behind Eric now getting ready to take on the last of the vamps coming towards them when I saw Eric raise his sword and in a blur of speed, brought it down across Felipe's shoulders.

The King's body crumpled to the ground in blood and ash, with his ridiculous cape laying on top. The few vampires that were left immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads, dropping their weapons.

Eric turned around covered in blood, his chest heaving with the battle lust inside him and growled. Betty, Bill, and Bubba were standing in a fighting stance near him, while the other Louisiana and Mississippi vamps were doing the same thing all around the room. They were waiting to see if anymore decided to come after them, but no one moved from their bowing position.

"Your Majesty, if you spare our lives we will swear our fealty to you right now." Said a pretty brunette vampire looking at Eric.

_Who the hell is she talking to? _I looked up at Eric who was considering her words and it hit me. He killed the King and now he's the King of Nevada. O.M.G.

I could feel his rage, pride, and hunger through the bond. He roared at the vampires on the ground, "Don't move!"

I looked down at Pam and realized she wasn't making any noise. Her eyes had a faraway look in them and her wound was still bleeding slowly.

"Pam! Pam look at me!" I screamed. She didn't say anything so I slapped her in the face. Her eyes twitched towards me but still no noise.

I didn't hesitate for a moment; I put my wrist to her mouth and yelled "Bite me!" When she hardly grabbed my wrist with her mouth, I grabbed the dagger I had pulled from her and sliced my wrist a little. Putting it in her mouth, I dripped a few drops on her tongue before I felt her latch on. The bleeding stopped and she had snapped back into consciousness.

"Don't take too much" I whispered to her and rubbed her hair out of her face. I could tell it was taking all her control when she took one last sip and pulled away. I knew my blood was pure pleasure for vampires, especially with the increase in Faery essence that was now in it.

"My child, are you ok?" Eric said kneeling down and grabbing her hand.

"Yes Sookie saved me" She said quietly.

I was hit with the flood of love and admiration Eric sent me. He scooped Pam and me up in his arms and set us on a couch as gently as if we were glass. He grabbed his phone and dialed someone and I heard him say "It is done. Felipe and his retinue are no more, and his underlings that are left have sworn fealty to me. Betty is alive and many of yours others. There were few casualties from our group. Yes I understand your Majesty. We will return home immediately."

Eric walked over to the small group of vampires that was left of Nevada and looked at Betty Jo. "Your King wishes for them to be brought before him to make a final decision. Bill and Bubba will help your men detain them. I must call the cleaners to come and take care of the mess."

Eric spent the next twenty minutes on the phone and giving out instructions to all the surviving vamps before walking back over to me. Pam had gotten up once she was healed and went to help Bill and Bubba. Since there was nothing I could do, I had layed down on the couch and waited for Eric.

"Lover there is much I want to say to you but now is not the time or place. Du är så modig mitt hjärta. Jag är på din nåd för vad du har gjort." (_You are so brave my heart. I am at your mercy for what you have done.)_ He said kissing me lightly.

Tears filled my eyes but I held them back. "Du är skyldig mig ingenting. Jag skulle dö hundra dödsfall att skydda dig och ditt barn. Det finns inget liv utan dig i den" (_You owe me nothing. I would die a hundred deaths to protect you and your child. There is no life without you in it_.) I said and returned his kiss with vigor. I knew I meant every word I said to him and the bond was humming with our overflowing emotions for each other.

"Come dear one, let's go home." He said. That might have been the best thing I heard all night.


	9. Vikings and Valkyries

_Sorry it took several days to get this chapter up! I've had a lot going on this holiday weekend, but the next chapter will be up fast and it will be longer than this one. Thanks for all the love and support for this story!_

* * *

Alcide and Tray were pacing the hall outside our rooms when Eric stepped off the elevator carrying me in his arms.

"What the fuck fanger?!" Alcide growled stepping towards Eric.

"Alcide!" I yelled.

"You would do well to back up wolf" Eric said coldly.

"Sookie, we thought you were just going to show them where to get in and then come back out with us. When we heard the commotion of the fight start and didn't see you, we tried to come back and get you out but some of his people were guarding the doors." Tray growled.

"I appreciate the concern, but I told you I had no intentions of leaving Eric in there without doing some damage myself." I said.

"You're lucky you're even coming out of there alive! What were you thinking going into that slaughter? Damn Sookie, you aren't a vamp or even a Were!" Alcide said stepping out of Eric's face.

I looked up at Eric with questioning eyes and he set me down and nodded his head.

"You're right, I'm not a vampire or a Were or shifter; I'm a Faery."

Tray and Alcide looked at me like I just told them I had a tail.

"A Faery? I thought they were just myth" Tray said.

"Are you serious? I know you are more unique than a human because of your telepathy and your smell, but a Faery?" Alcide asked.

"Don't feel bad, I haven't known for long either." I say.

"So if you're a Faery, how come you can be around all the bloodsuckers?" Tray was asking. "From what I heard, Faeries used to exist but vampires wiped them out of existence by their tendency to eat them." He was giving Eric a dirty look now.

"That's only partially true. Faeries are intoxicating to vampires, but that just forced them to go back to their own world. The few that travel between both worlds can now mask their scent. Sookie is only part Fae; though her scent is fragrant and alluring to vampires, it doesn't incite the need to drain her. Not that I would ever let someone do that to my bonded." He said showing a little fang.

"Even if you are a Supe, how can you defend yourself against vampires?" Alcide said, clearly irritated that he was a very strong Supe and even he didn't want to tangle with them.

I looked a few doors down and saw a bundled newspaper sitting on the ground outside one of the rooms. I looked at Alcide and Tray and blasted the newspaper. Their mouths dropped as the light flew out of my hands and incinerated the paper.

"You better not do her wrong!" Tray laughed looking at Eric. Eric just growled in return.

"My love if you're done showing off for the animals, we have important business to see to." Eric said gently chiding me. "We will be checking out and heading back to Shreveport in the hour. The rooms are already paid for, so feel free to stay until tomorrow. I've alerted the front desk to bill your dinner to my tab." Eric said to the Weres.

"Thanks." Tray said grinning. I could hear his thoughts that he was going to order the biggest steak the restaurant offered as well as a few beers; I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Thanks." Alcide said gruffly and looked directly at me. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yes I'm great. My leg is the only thing that was injured and it's already healing right up." I said brightly. Hopefully Alcide would take the hint and let it go because I could feel Eric's anger bubbling up. "We really do have to be going, but I'll speak to you when we get back home ok? Thanks for coming and helping me, I owe you guys."

Eric all but dragged me into our room. As soon as the door shut, he grabbed me up and kissed me like his undead life depended on it. His excitement from the battle and his gratitude at me saving his child was driving him to near insanity with lust. Gripping my little leather vest right over my breasts, he tore it in half and growled at the sight of my bare flesh.

Pinning me up against the wall, I wrapped my legs around his waist and started nibbling his neck. The surge of battle was still gripping him and his movements were frantic and rough. I didn't mind, he wasn't being too rough to handle. He had ditched his clothing in one swift movement, but took the time to take my shorts off without messing them up. That was the last thought I had before I was impaled on his hard length and being rocketed into oblivion. Our needs were primal and instinctive and there was nothing fuzzy and cuddly about it. That was fine with me though because it was wildly erotic.

After we came down from the high of many orgasms, I giggled realizing that I was still wearing the sultry makeup and bright red wig from earlier. I pulled it off and shook my hair down from the pins.

"So what did you think of Lexi? I hear she's amazing in bed!" I said seductively.

"She was amazing, but don't tell her I was thinking of my hot girlfriend the whole time." He said playing along.

We were lying in a jumble on the floor with wild hair and shredded clothes around us. We only made it a few feet inside the doorway, so it was an awkward position to say the least.

Deciding to test the waters, I looked at my Viking and asked, "Are you really the new King of Nevada?"

The grin fell from his face and he pushed back a few hairs off my forehead. "Technically yes because I executed the King, but of course I was working for my Queen and the King of Mississippi. It's complicated, but we will figure everything out shortly dear one. Right now, we have to get out of here and get the surrendered vamps back to Russell's compound."

"Yea I can't wait to see what the vamps we left behind have been up to." I said snarky.

"Oh I'm certain they haven't had as much fun as we have lover." Eric said grinning.

I went to my bag to get out another outfit to put on since all that was left of my previous one was a ripped vest and thong, but perfectly intact leather booty shorts. Eric pulled another pair of jeans and a t-shirt from his bag, considering his outfit was not only shredded but covered in blood and vampire goo.

"How did you manage to spare these little shorts, but nothing else?" I asked holding up Lexi's uniform

"Those are too damn sexy to waste. I want you to wear those for me again, in private."

That sounded like a great idea to me too, so I packed them away to take home. Pam and Bill came to the room a few minutes later to see if we were ready to leave.

Pam looked at me for a long moment before turning to Eric. "Betty and several of Russell's crew have restrained the Nevada vampires and are making arrangements to take them back to Mississippi.

"I've called Mr. Barnes and he said the jet will be refueled and ready to leave in 45 minutes. What else would you like for me to do Sheriff?" Bill asked.

"Eric if you don't mind, could Pam escort me downstairs to see if I can find some food before we leave?" I asked my honey.

"Of course lover. I assume all is well, but Pamela please keep an eye out for trouble."

"Yes master." She said.

Pam and I left the room and made our way to the elevators. I could have waited to eat, but really I just wanted to talk to Pam alone and see how she was doing. When the elevator doors closed, I looked at her and opened my mouth to speak but she wrapped me in her embrace before I could. Of all the things I thought she might do or say, that wasn't what I was expecting. I returned her hug, because truly she had always been a good friend to me and not only would it have destroyed Eric if something happened to her, but it would have devastated me.

"Thank you." Was all she whispered to me.

"Anytime." I said

Releasing each other and stepping back into our own space, she looked at me with her smirk that was so similar to her maker.

"You did pretty well for a breather"

"Thanks. You did pretty good for a woman." I teased her.

We went to the lobby and found several vampires wearing the Mississippi seal keeping guard on the entrance of the hotel. It was pretty obvious that the few humans who were around, had been glamoured into forgetting whatever they saw or heard.

"I doubt we will find anything in the kitchen right now. Almost all the human staff was sent home after being given a new memory of the night." Pam said looking at me.

"Let's ask the receptionist where we can go." I said walking up to the young woman I had checked in with earlier.

"Hi, I was wondering where's the closest place I could grab a bite to eat?"

"Unfortunately our kitchen staff seems to have caught some type of virus, so they went home for the night. If you go out of the hotel and turn right, there's a little café right beside of us though."

"Ok thanks." I said walking out with Pam.

We went to the café and I ordered a turkey and swiss on rye and a Pepsi to go. It only took about ten minutes to get back up to the room and I noticed all the vamps from our earlier flight were coming out of their rooms, carrying their coffins with them.

Betty Jo paused when she got to me and said "You have proven yourself to be very brave, yet again. My King will see you honored for your efforts."

"Thank you" I said feeling embarrassed. I bowed to her and kept walking to my room.

"Do not think less of yourself Sookie; you are brave. I am mad at you for not telling me about all your cool Faery powers though." Pam said.

"I didn't know I could do anything until the day before we left for Mississippi. The other stuff I only found out tonight during the battle."

"You were a warrior tonight; Eric and I are very proud, as I'm sure your great Grandfather will be when he hears of this."

Come to think of it, this does seem like something Niall would be proud of me for. Just your everyday slaying of a few vampires and blood drinking Weres. Maybe this will make up for all the times he missed me riding a bike without training wheels or winning the spelling bee at school.

Eric opened the door right before I put my hand on it and looked at his child and me lovingly.

"Did you find sustenance dear? If I couldn't pinpoint you down like a GPS tracker, I would have sent a search party."

"Sorry it took a few minutes, the kitchen was closed so we had to go to the restaurant beside the hotel." I said wrapping my arms around him.

"It is no trouble. We are ready to leave if you ladies are." He said and pulled Pam into his other arm.

"Min Valkyries. Ni två är modiga och lojala och jag är mest stolt över." (_My Valkyries. You two are brave and loyal and I am most proud) _Eric whispered to us and kissed our heads.

It was a touching moment between a thousand year old dead Viking vampire and his favorite two ladies. My Gran would roll over in her grave if she had seen me tonight, but my vamp family and my Faery kin; well they were proud as could be. The insanity that is my life was starting to get to me and I started laughing nervously. Eric and Pam just looked at me and decided to ignore it.

Bill, Pam, Eric, and I walked down to the lobby and instead of taking the maintenance elevator this time, we walked out the front door and onto the bus that had dropped us off earlier that day. Several of Russell's vamps and Sophie Ann's people had been making trips back and forth and had already loaded our group's coffins onto the bus. Bill told me that Bubba was going to stay in Nevada for a few days, so he wouldn't be coming back with us. Betty Jo, Alonzo, and Kimiko were riding a different bus with the prisoners on board. Unfortunately Remus didn't make it out of the fight.

Eric was busy on the phone most of the ride, so I took the chance to talk to Bill.

"You all healed up from earlier?" I asked him. He had put up one hell of a fight, but I had seen him take a sword right to the rib cage and vampire or not, I know it hurt like hell.

"Yes, I found one of the human employees to be most willing to donate some blood to me after the fight." He said grinning.

"Well that's good to hear. You kicked ass in there by the way."

"Thank you. You did a mighty fine job of kicking ass yourself; especially when you somehow staked a vampire without even touching the wood yourself." He said looking at me curiously.

Now I had Eric's attention too. He turned his head towards us when he heard what Bill said.

"What is he talking about lover?" Eric had been busy fighting off so many attacks he missed seeing my new skills.

"Remember when I told you last night that I would have to wait and see what my new powers would be? Well apparently one of them is telekinesis." I smiled nervously.

"That is amazing. You were able to stake a vampire with your mind?" He asked.

"A couple actually" Pam chimed in.

"I wish I could have seen it, but the way you handled your sword, it was like Freya in battle; magnificent." He said. I felt his lust and pride beaming through the bond.

"Yeah yeah" I said waving my hand dismissively. "You're just trying to make me forget that I'm upset."

"Why are you upset dear one?" Eric asked me.

"This is the first time I've ever been to Las Vegas and we didn't even get to have any fun" I said teasing.

"Somehow I think we'll be able to come back whenever you like" He said smirking.

"I guess you're right since my boyfriend is the King."

Eric didn't have a chance to respond before his phone was ringing again. While he was busy talking, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my purse and jotted down a note. I couldn't possibly talk quiet enough for Eric not to hear me, so I held the note out at Pam.

_Did you take care of everything at the house?_

She nodded her head yes and smiled. The excitement and joy I felt must have hit Eric as well because he reached over and took my hand without looking at what I was doing. I quickly crumbled the note and stuffed it back in my purse.

Soon we were back at the private airfield and boarding our plane. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, it was only a few minutes past eleven when we left Nevada. I cuddled up beside my Viking and laid my head on his shoulder. I must have fell asleep right after takeoff, because I woke up to Eric unbuckling my seat belt and telling me it was time to get off the plane. I was exhausted from our whirlwind trip and too groggy to care what he was saying. He carried me off the plane and put me in the limo. I vaguely remember seeing Mr. Cataliades smiling at me while Eric loaded me in.

When the fog started lifting from my brain, I made myself sit up and take notice of my surroundings. We were about to pull into Russell's compound and I needed to be awake for whatever was coming. I wish I could have just gone back to my room, put on my pajamas and climbed into bed; but of course that wasn't going to happen. It wouldn't do any good to pout about it, so I figured I might as well suck it up for a few more hours until dawn and then I could rest when the vamps sheltered for the day.

Bill and Pam stepped out of the car first and Eric looked over at me when we were alone.

"Are you ready lover?" He asked

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with so we can go home."

He responded by kissing me and pushing strength through the bond. We got out and walked into Russell's house and the first thing that hit my nose was the smell of silver burning flesh.


	10. Mon enfant Ma chute

Pam and Bill were already in the mansion and judging by the looks on their faces, they knew the smell of vampire flesh burning all too well.

"It seems Russell and Sophie Ann had quite an adventurous evening as well" Eric said crinkling his nose. He turned to look at me and spoke softly. "Whatever you see my love, do not say a word in defiance. Try to remember that they are responsible for almost getting you and I killed."

I nodded my head in agreement and all four of us set off down the hall. We walked to a private room in the rear of the mansion; the vampires being guided by the smell. Two of Russell's Weres were guarding the door and stepped aside as we approached.

The room was most likely meant to be some kind of sitting room, but today was being used as a torture/interrogation room. Eric's bartender Felicia, Sophie Ann's child Andre, and Russell's human companion Talbot were chained to silver straight back chairs. The vampires were being burned because of the silver chains and Talbot had obviously been beaten.

"Sheriff I am most pleased with your efforts" Sophie Ann said gliding up to him.

"Thank you your Majesty. It is my honor to defend you and your allies." He said bowing to the King and Queen.

"We will discuss the matter of your ascension later. For now, we have business to finish here." She said giving the traitors a terrifying grin.

"Yes your Majesty, I hear you are quite the warrior." Russell said nodding to Eric.

"Thank you both. Have you gathered any useful information from these conspirators while we were away?" Eric asked.

"Indeed we have. It seems as though Talbot and my child have been having a love affair. Of course you know the sex would be of no consequence to either of them; however they have betrayed us far beyond a physical relationship." Sophie Ann said walking around Andre. "My own child has turned his back on me! Centuries I have loved you and cared for you and this is how you repay me?!" She was yelling at Andre now with a blood tear running down her porcelain face.

"My Queen!" Andre sobbed "I have done everything for you! I have slaughtered any who wished to do you harm; I have defended you and protected you. I handpicked virgins for you and took any steps necessary to ensure that any crimes you committed were never heard of! I have spent my entire vampire life catering to your every fucking whim!" He spat the hateful words at her before she backhanded him and broke his jaw.

"You did those things because I am your Queen as well as your maker! If it weren't for me, you would have long since rotted in your grave! Are you forgetting all the things I have done to defend and protect you as well, you fool?!" She yelled.

After a brief pause in their conversation, Eric chimed in to ask the Queen a question. "Your Majesty, I'm not sure I understand what the connection is between the three of them."

Russell decided to field this one and replied "You see Sheriff; my Talbot began having an affair with Andre. Andre apparently had knowledge that Felipe DeCastro was looking to gain more territory and seize another kingdom; he conspired with his new lover Talbot to help Felipe in exchange for power and wealth."

Truthfully Eric and I had already figured this out, but we had to make it seem that we had only gleaned part of the truth from Talbot the night before. When the backstabbing Weres at Club Dead told us that they were being paid in vampire blood from the pretty black haired vamp at the dead bar; we realized they were talking about Eric's new bartender Felicia. It just so happens that Andre himself had approved Felicia's request to settle in Eric's territory, stating that Eric didn't need to investigate her background because Andre had known her for a long time. The fact that he personally vouched for her coupled with the knowledge that Nevada had on me when we arrived in Mississippi led us to believe he was involved.

When we came back from Club Dead that night, Eric had pulled the King and Queen aside into one of Russell's soundproof safe rooms and explained to them what we knew. The scene at dinner the previous night was all just a rouse to get Andre to tell Felipe to come to Mississippi on Saturday; giving us the element of surprise on Thursday. Russell had no intentions of letting that scumbag Felipe have any part of his kingdom, but Talbot and Andre had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

It wasn't until Talbot touched my dress at dinner that night that I got a clear picture that he was involved. The black lace straps of my dress had triggered a memory of the black robe he was wearing the last time he was with Andre. I knew then that they were lovers and of course they were working together. Since the first night I arrived at the mansion, Talbot had pretty much avoided me and I knew now it was because he didn't want me to catch anything from his mind. Too bad he was dumb enough to sit near me that night and even touch me, bringing the picture in perfectly clear. He had pushed the thought aside so quickly, he probably didn't think I could have even picked up on it.

"You don't understand!" Talbot said looking up with his bruised and beaten face. "I love you and I did everything you ever asked of me, but you wouldn't do the one thing I wanted from you! Why wouldn't you turn me? I wanted to be with you forever, being as strong and powerful as you, but you just wanted to be in control! You couldn't stand the thought of me having any power because you always have to be superior! Not Andre though. He promised me he would turn me after Felipe took control of Mississippi and we would fight with Nevada to overthrow Sophie Ann. Once Felipe owned three states, Andre would be put in power in Louisiana with me at his side. Something you would never do!"

"That's not true Talbot. Part of the reason I love you is for your humanity! Vampire couples don't usually last and I wanted you to be with me for a very long time, that's why I didn't turn you. What you fail to realize is that I would have eventually turned you; I just wanted to enjoy a few more years of your warmth and heartbeat before I brought you to my side permanently." Russell said calmly.

Talbot's expression was full of regret. He knew he made a huge mistake by crossing Russell and that if he could have been patient, his wish would have been granted. Now, I didn't even want to think of the fate he was sure to suffer.

"What about you Felicia? How do you fit into all this besides distributing our sacred blood to filthy animals?" Eric asked coldly.

"Sheriff please believe that I did not want to do this. I knew nothing of Felipe's plans to overthrow Mississippi and Louisiana. Felipe has my son." She said with red rimmed eyes. "I had a child before I was turned; he was only four when I disappeared twenty years ago. After my maker was killed several years ago, I started watching him from afar and realized he has a drug problem. One night he overdosed and I saw him lying in a motel room covered in his own vomit, dying. I called for help and he was saved by the human doctors, but one of Felipe's men had followed me and seen what happened. They knew how much I cared for him and they used it to force me into submission. Felipe had my son kidnapped and told me that I would never see him again unless I went to Louisiana temporarily and supplied the Weres with blood. I didn't know why he would desecrate the blood of our kind, but I didn't want him to kill my son. I'm sorry to all of you; I swear I never meant to hurt anyone."

Hearing Andre and Talbot's explanations of their treachery did not garner any sympathy from me. They had been greedy and selfish in their ways and it had almost cost me my bonded and my friends. Felicia's story on the other hand, had tugged at my heart. I couldn't imagine being torn from my child and turned against my will, and then to have him kidnapped and used as a pawn in a political game; that was just plain sick. I was all the more glad I had killed Victor and that Felipe had died at the hands of my lover.

I looked at Eric with a pleading in my eyes and pushed my sadness and understanding through the bond. He eyed me only for a second, but I knew he couldn't say anything in front of everyone else. Instead I tried to turn my sadness into anger and focused my attention on the rat bastards in front of me.

"So Andre, you warned Talbot when Sophie Ann decided to send me to Mississippi and made sure he would inform the spies that were already there. That's how they knew who Eric and I were before we even got here. It all makes sense now; you glamoured those fake waiters into forgetting your role in all this, so all they would remember was to silver Eric. You didn't want to take the chance of me seeing you inside their heads." I said venomously.

"Of course you little bitch! If you wouldn't have come and ruined everything, I would be sitting in a throne right now!" Eric moved faster than I could follow and landed a punch that re-broke Andre's newly healed jaw.

"You will not speak of my companion like that!" He roared in Andre's face. It was scary as hell.

Andre turned his face to his maker and spoke with blood dripping out of his mouth.

"You would never have brought me to a position of power; you just wanted to keep me right behind you forever. I would have done anything for you, but you would never have let me rise to my own power. Look at those buffoons that still follow you after all this time, doing your bidding." He said.

The buffoons he was referring to were the Queen's bodyguards and children; Sigebert and Wybert.

"Those buffoons are my children and they are loyal! Something you obviously know nothing about!" She hissed.

In a blur, the Queen had grabbed a stake that I hadn't noticed earlier and with a heartbreaking scream; she pounded it into the chest of her child, ending his long existence.

All the vampires in the room gasped and their fangs ran down. They were just as shocked as I was. The Queen was lying on the floor covered in the blood of her child; weeping. She might be a deadly viper, but it was a sad sight. I noticed Eric had moved behind me and was cradling me in his arms, which was a relief because my knees felt like jell-o.

No one moved for a few moments until Russell looked at Bill and nodded. He walked over to his Queen and gently picked her up from the gore. I was holding my breath not knowing how she would react, but luckily she leaned into Bill and allowed him to carry her out of the room. Poor Felicia looked terrified that she would be next, but if I could help it, that wasn't going to happen. I was showing Eric my concern for Felicia through our mental connection when he stepped forward to Russell.

"If it pleases you your Majesty, I would ask that I be allowed to take my subordinate back to Louisiana and decide her punishment." He said glancing at the weepy vampire.

"Since she was merely a pawn and not a key player, I will allow it." Russell answered.

"Thank you your Majesty. If you would have a guard with her until dawn, I wish for the silver to be taken off. I need to take my mate to rest and I will see you tonight after sundown." Eric said.

Russell nodded in agreement and Eric walked back over to me and grabbed my hand. He said goodnight to Pam as we walked out of the mansion and back to our little home away from home. We didn't say a word until we were in alone in the house.

"Poor Sophie Ann" I said letting the tears fall.

Eric held me tight against his chest, smoothing my hair with his hand.

"As a maker, I cannot imagine being betrayed in such a way by my own child. To be plotted against and then have to end that child; it is unspeakable." He said.

I felt a small shiver run through his body at the thought of what Sophie Ann was going through. Luckily, Eric would never have to worry about such a thing with Pam as his progeny.

"What will you do with Felicia?" I asked carefully. I knew Eric did things to appease me sometimes, but I couldn't tell him what to do when it came down to his position as Sheriff. The best I could hope for was that he would see she was forced and give her leniency.

"I haven't decided, but I will not kill her and I won't torture her either. Had she done any more than just give out the blood that was given to her, I would likely do both; in this case however, Felipe blackmailed her into doing his bidding."

"Thank you." I whispered and kissed him. "Let's take a shower and go to bed."

As we showered, we began to make love at a slow and sensual pace. There was no need to hurry or scream and climb the walls; this was just about us being close and letting the bond envelope and comfort us. We crawled into bed and Eric pulled me close to him and tucked us under the covers before the dawn took him for the day.


	11. Home Is Where You Are

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed my story! Sorry this chapter took so long but I just bought a new puppy a few days ago so I've been really wrapped up with her. For some reason, this chapter took me days to get it together and I don't know if the finished product is great so please don't stake me if it isn't as good as some of the others!

* * *

Pop! Claudine appeared at the foot of my bed smiling up at me.

"Sookie wake up dear!" She chanted.

Coming to my senses, I sat up and let my eyes adjust.

"Do Faeries have something against doors?"

"No, but why would I use a door when I can just appear right where I need to be?" She asked with a puzzled look.

"Maybe because you scare people when you just pop up beside them, especially when they're sleeping!"

"Oh rubbish! So I hear you have had quite the adventure in Nevada. I can also tell that you took the potion." She said grinning.

"Yea I did. Our plans went off without a hitch luckily, so Nevada was taken down and apparently now Eric is the King…or something."

"So he must have been the one to kill Felipe; that's interesting."

"Yes he killed Felipe and then the rest of the Nevada vamps stopped fighting and bowed down, swearing their fealty to him if he would spare them; it was pretty intense. They brought the surrendered vampires back here to let Russell have his say in what happens to them. I don't know what's going on with Eric being a King now, but apparently it's going to be figured out tonight."

"Well I'm sure it will all work out. If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to drink the potion? I'm glad you did because I love you cousin and I want all the time with you I can; plus if you have more powers then I won't have to get my hands dirty taking care of you so often." She snickered.

"I wanted to think it over a little bit longer, but I felt like now was as good a time as any."

"So have you discovered any new abilities yet?"

Without answering, I mentally guided a muffin over to her.

"Hungry?" I asked cheesing at her.

"Telekinesis is pretty impressive cousin; many full blooded Faeries have that ability or at least some form of it."

"Yea it came in real handy during the fight. Oh and watch this." I say projecting an image of our last spa day together.

"Oh yes, that was a very fun day. I must admit I'm a little jealous cousin; I can't project like that."

"Don't worry I'm not taking your day job; I still can't do half the cool stuff you can" I didn't need to mention that a few vamps had told me that my magic was very powerful; it never hurts to stroke your faery Godmother's ego a little.

"Well just remember that I'm always here to help guide you through this change. When you return home, we'll make plans to start your training."

"Sounds good, but first we need to have some good old fashioned family time." I say sliding my arm around her. "I don't want to turn into your project Claudine, you're the closest thing I have to a mom and I don't want that to change."

She took my face in her hands and pressed her forehead to mine. "You are my child in every way that matters and that will never change. The fact that I get to teach you about our kind is only an added bonus. Plus, I'm more like your hot older sister." She said snickering.

We made plans to have dinner at my house on Sunday and she promised to invite Niall. When she left, I slipped into my favorite teal, sequined bikini and headed to the huge pool behind the mansion. No matter what else I have going on, lying out in the sun always improves my mood; I'm going to blame it on the whole sky Fae thing.

The chaise lounges around the pool were not your typical Wal-Mart special. They were extra wide with big, fluffy cushions in bright orange and sunny yellows. There were also four cabanas with ivory draping and what looked to be outdoor beds in them; didn't have to wonder too much about the use of those. Each cabana was equipped with a stainless steel mini fridge, small wicker table, sunscreens and tanning oils, and magazines. On the wicker table, there was a little intercom to call to the kitchen in the main house. After a one sided argument with myself for twenty minutes, I decided to walk into one of the cabanas and call the kitchen to have them bring me lunch to the pool. I felt a little guilty for having someone cater to me, but Russell had told me all along to do it and this was the first and only time I planned on using that service.

I laid on one of the lounge chairs soaking up the warm rays for about half an hour before a familiar young man walked up holding a bamboo platter filled with fresh fruit, a small pitcher of tea, and a grilled chicken salad. It was the guy who brought me the rental car a few days ago and he looked as eager as ever to please me.

_Damn the way she looks in that bikini almost makes me want to switch teams…almost_.

Oh boy, I guess I'll take his thoughts as a compliment.

"Hi, how are you today?" I ask cheerfully.

"Oh I'm great thanks! How are you Ms. Stackhouse?"

"I'm just right as rain and even better now that you brought all this delicious food out here. I hope it wasn't much trouble, I really appreciate it."

"Of course not, you are our guest and it's my pleasure. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No this is more than enough. I'm gonna have to mention to the King what a great staff he has here, especially how helpful you've been with my stay." I knew the boy was nervous about taking care of me to please Russell and I figured I'd put those fears to rest.

"Well thank you ma'am. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call." He walked back inside, feeling more confident.

_That will be my good deed for the day_. I scarfed down every bite of the food before I picked up my phone to text Amelia. I hadn't spoken to my witchy friend since I've been here and I wondered what she was up to.

_Hey hun what are u up to?_

_Sunbathing..what about you?_

_Same __ I think we're coming home late tonight_

_Yay! I'm bored as hell..what time are u going to be here?_

_Don't know yet but I'll text you later. XOXO_

_Bye Tink can't wait to see ya!_

Now if only the rest of tonight could go easy, we would be out of here and heading home in less than 12 hours. Feeling like melted butter, I made my way over to one of the cabanas and laid back. With the radio on softly and the light breeze from the fan, I was blissfully peaceful. I must not have realized how peaceful I was because I woke up a few hours later with a very large, very aroused Viking kissing my neck.

"Hey you." I murmur trying to wake up.

"Hello my little Faery princess." He said dreamily as he licked and sniffed me up and down.

"You know your Majesty this is fun and all, but we have business to take care of so we can get back home tonight." Even as I say the words out loud, I want to kick myself for stopping him.

Pulling away with a fake hurt look on his face he says "You are a hard hearted woman. You are right though; there is much to be discussed in a little amount of time."

"Are you going to have to move to Nevada?" I ask nervously.

"Do you wish to move to Nevada?"

"No. If you can't get out of being the King though, won't you have to go there?"

"I have no desire to be King and I'm sure Sophie Ann and Russell will be all too happy to divide the kingdom between the two of them. If you wished to leave Louisiana and move to Nevada then I would enforce my claim on the kingdom."

I kissed him while sending him images of all the things I wanted to do to him later. This man had just offered to take a position he had no interest in, put up with countless political drama, and uproot his whole life if it would make me happy. I don't think any girl would be unmoved by that.

"Oh you really are cruel! I'm going to be hard all night thinking about what you showed me." He laughed with that almost growl that I love to hear and scooped me up.

"I believe a King and Queen are waiting for us, no need to drag this out any longer." He said as he eased me down to my feet in our living room.

"Alright well let me change, because I'm pretty sure it's not classy to entertain royalty in nothing but a sparkly bikini."

"Oh but how ravishing you look in that bikini" He said tugging at the string ties.

"Later." I say as I head off to the bathroom to get ready.

It's not long before we head back over to the main house and meet Pam at the door.

"Good evening master." She says giving a small head bow. "Good evening Sookie. Oh my! You smell fan-fucking-tastic!"

"Thanks Pam. I believe you smell my new perfume called 'my Faery Godmother and sunshine'" I say smiling.

"Indeed I do. You know that's why I got hurt last night; it was just an act so I could taste that delicious blood of yours."

"Aww Pammy, next time just ask real nice. No need for a silver dagger or anything."

Eric clears his throat, clearly amused by our little exchange. "If you ladies could quit flirting, I need to get inside."

I bowed deeply and curtsy like an idiot, waving him forwards and Pam drops to the ground and practically worships him. We can barely contain our laughter as he walks past scowling at us. That's one of the things I love about Pam; she's a vampire with a sense of humor. It's a very rare quality among the undead.

Russell, Betty Jo, and Bill are already sitting at the dining room table when we enter.

Russell stands and gives Eric a nod "Good evening Mr. Northman; Sookie; Pamela. I take it you rested well this day."

"Yes your Majesty, thank you. In fact, my bonded thoroughly enjoyed your pool today."

"Ah wonderful! I knew I smelled sunshine; you my dear are like a rare vintage." He purred

"Thank you sir." I replied feeling a wee bit uncomfortable.

"Good evening Sheriff; Sookie." Bill said nodding his head towards us.

"Hey Bill!" I say walking to him to get out of Russell's gaze.

"Shall we dine?" Russell asks.

Everyone took their seats with one very notable absence; Queen Sophie Ann. I guess Russell saw me looking to the empty seat where she had sat a few nights ago.

"The Queen left for Louisiana as soon as she rose for the evening. As you can understand, she is grief stricken. In my 3000 years on this world, I have only seen a maker destroy their progeny twice. I can't imagine how hard it must be for her."

The vampires all nod solemnly in agreement. That's the last that we talked of Sophie Ann that evening, and after everyone had their fill of either blood or food, it was time to get down to the important stuff.

"Well Sheriff, I believe we have much to discuss this evening." Russell said to Eric.

"Yes your Majesty."

"If you all would excuse Mr. Northman and me, my staff has set up the theatre room for your enjoyment or you may explore downtown Jackson. It is quite a sight in the dark."

I stood up to walk out with the other vampires, when Russell addressed me. "Ms. Stackhouse as the bonded of the Sheriff, you are welcome to stay if your mate wishes you to."

"Of course you can stay lover." Eric said taking my hand.

"Actually if it's alright, I think I'll stay with Pam and let you all talk in private." I said. I didn't want Eric to make any rash decisions regarding his future based on how he thought I might feel about it; I wanted him to do whatever was right for him.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked.

"Yes love, just call me when you're ready for me to come back." I bent down and kissed his forehead and walked out.

"Pam wait up!" I say running down the hall to catch up with her.

She stops and so does Bill who was a few feet behind her.

"You're not going to sit in on the negotiations?" Bill asked.

"Uh no, how about we go out and see the town?" I say to the both of them.

" Oh I'm sure they have some shoe stores open late where we can do some damage" Pam smiles deviously. "And look what I've got!" She pulls out the American Express card Eric pays for.

"Oh you mean one of these?" I say pulling out the same one he gave me.

"This is too good! Let's go!" She says and practically pulls me out the door.

"Come on Bill it will be fun!" I say over my shoulder and he reluctantly follows us.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The city was lit up like the fourth of July when we made our way downtown. Jackson had changed in the few years since the vampires had come out of the coffin. Sure there was still the grand southern charm of it all, but there was also a darker side now. Pretty much all major cities in the U.S. had changed their focus to accommodate a growing nightlife due to the existence of vamps and Jackson was no different.

One road you walked down might have the state building or some beautiful antebellum manor, and the next would have an all night movie theatre and a strip club catering to vampires.

Bill looked at me and said "See that city hall building over there? It was here when I was a soldier in the war; it was the only building nearby that wasn't burnt to the ground. Mississippi was a state of much contention during the war because if you could block off the Mississippi River, you could prevent supplies and trade from the confederates."

Though Pam looked at Bill like he was talking about the cost of milk in China, I was fascinated by this little history lesson. As you can imagine, one of the benefits of vampires coming out of the coffin was having the chance to talk to them about history that they actually lived through. The History Channel and National Geographic had jumped on the bandwagon quickly and hired many vampires to authenticate many historical sites and field questions. Talking to Bill about the civil war also reminded me of my Gran and how much she would have loved to take a tour with Bill and hear all he had to say about the war.

"It's beautiful." I said.

"That's even more beautiful" Pam said pointing to an all-night Saks store.

After an hour and a half of retail therapy, Pam and I emerged with a few pairs of shoes and a new handbag each. Pam found a Prada studded black leather clutch that she "needed" to go with the studded heels I gave her and I got a white leather tote style bag with a gold handle. The yin and yang of our purchases cracked me up when we were checking out. After using Pam's AMEX for our purchases, I pulled out my own personal credit card to pay for a lilac colored clutch I got for Amelia. I still wasn't entirely comfortable letting Eric pay for some of my shopping, but after many fights with him over it, I decided that once in a while would be ok since we were dating. Plus when Pam and I put our purchases together on one card, you didn't really know who had spent what; just that Pam most likely spent more than me.

We found Bill walking around the front of the store and if he wasn't already dead, he probably would have died from boredom waiting on us. We made our way back through the city, stopping for ice cream (for me) before heading into the parking garage to retrieve my car. I asked Bill to drive because let's face it; with it being dark and very crowded downtown, a vampire with perfect eyesight and reflexes was probably the best bet.

"So what do you think will happen with Eric and this Nevada situation?" I asked my fanged friends.

Pam answered me first. "Well it's hard to say really. If Russell and Sophie Ann want to split up Nevada, then they may offer Eric a higher position in one of their courts. If they have no interest in Nevada; which I can't see happening, then they would insist he claim the Kingdom for himself. With the Queen not here for negotiations though, it is most likely going to fall to Russell to make the decision. There is really a variety of options that could happen."

"If you don't mind me asking Sookie; what would you like to happen?" Bill asked.

"I don't know really. That's why I left tonight so Eric could figure out what he wanted to do for himself. I didn't want him sensing my emotions during their talk to influence his decision. I don't want to move to Nevada, but if Eric needs to do it and he wants me to come with, then of course I would do it. Then again I don't want to live in Bon Temps forever either. I just want Eric to be happy with his decision and hopefully it won't endanger either of us. Right now, being bonded to Eric and an employee of the Queen keeps me out of the hands of other vamps who might want to take me, and I just don't want that to change."

"That is very kind of you to allow Eric to make this decision of his own accord Sookie. I'm sure he will do whatever will keep you safe." Pam said proudly.

We arrived back at the mansion a few minutes later and I felt a rush of happiness hit me as Eric walked out the door as we were pulling in. He scooped me up in a big bear hug and kissed my forehead.

"Uh oh. Were my girls maxing out their credit cards?" He smirked as Pam started pulling our bags out of the trunk.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I can take it back if.." I say

"Don't be ridiculous! I was only teasing; believe me if Pam has never maxed it out all these years, I doubt those few bags will add up to anything."

"Are you sure?" I say starting to feel guilty about the shoes.

"I have been around for over one thousand years my dear, your purchases are pocket change to me. In fact, I am delighted to see that you have finally allowed me to purchase you a few things without fighting me over it."

"Thanks" Is all I manage to say on the matter. "So can we go home now?"

"Yes, Russell and I have discussed everything and we are free to go. I'll explain everything to you later."

"When are you guys leaving? Do you want to ride home with us?" I asked Bill and Pam.

Pam looked at Eric who nodded his head. "Might as well, there's no women here and all the men in this house are driving me crazy." Pam said.

"I appreciate the offer Sookie, but I will be leaving Mississippi tomorrow to head to Arizona. I've been in contact with a few vampire members of the Anasazi tribe and they are going to tell me about some of the oldest members of their tribe. Vampires who lived in the region long before what Americans know of. If their information is accurate, there may be vampires there who are 6 – 8 times the age of our Sheriff." Bill said looking to Eric.

"Wow! Ok, well Pam if you want to grab your stuff we can get out of here in a few minutes." I said.

Pam set our bags back in the trunk and went to the house to retrieve her suitcase. We were on the road in fifteen minutes, heading back to Shreveport.

"So my child, how would you feel about being the new Sheriff of Area 5?" Eric said jumpstarting the conversation.

**TBC…**


	12. The Tale of Eirik Svensson

_Sorry this chapter is short, but it is one of my favorites I've written :) Hope you all enjoy it and remember; I may be taking a few creative licenses with some facts but I have tried to research to the best of my ability for accuracy._

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about?" Pam asked her maker.

Shit! I knew it, I just knew Eric was going to go to Nevada; I mean why wouldn't he? As much money as he makes as Sheriff, I'm sure it would be an enormous raise to be a King; not to mention all the power. Will he want me to go with him or is he leaving me behind? My mind was racing waiting for Eric to drop the bomb on me that he was leaving me to go to Nevada to be King.

"Russell and I decided that since I have no desire to be the King of Nevada; that he and Sophie Ann will split the Kingdom and I will receive 20% of their revenue for Nevada for abdicating the throne. Also as Sophie Ann will be busy taking care of Nevada, I am being promoted to Regent of Louisiana and will inherit an extra 25% of all of Louisiana's income." He said taking my hand and kissing it. "I'm not going anywhere lover."

Tears filled my eyes and relief flooded the bond. It was irrational of me to think that Eric would throw me to the wayside just because he was being offered a new position, but unfortunately being burned in the past has taught me to guard my heart.

"Are you really asking me to take over as Sheriff?" Pam asked.

"Of course I am being serious Pamela. You are intelligent, business savvy, fierce, and loyal; I would be honored to have you as one of my Sheriffs."

"Thank you Master. It would be my pleasure." She said almost awestruck.

"Will we have to move to New Orleans?" I ask.

"No love, as Regent I am free to live anywhere in the state as well as travel freely between Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada. _We _may live wherever you would like."

I smiled at him in the rearview mirror knowing that he was delighted that I said 'will _we' _indicating that I would move with him if he had to leave.

We all made small talk the rest of the way home and it was about 3 A.M. when we dropped off Pam at her house. Eric and I continued the few miles down the road to his house and by the time we pulled into his garage, I was almost jumping out of my skin with anticipation. While we were away, I had Pam help me set up a very special surprise for Eric and I couldn't wait for him to see it. When he came around to my side to open my door, I got out and ran ahead of him to the door leading to the house.

"Lover what is wrong with you? I am almost vibrating with your emotions." He asked eyeballing me.

"I have a surprise for you" I say coyly. "I'm really excited for you to see it and I hope you like it."

"Oh does this surprise involve whips, chains, or naughty lingerie?" He says smoothly, pulling me into a kiss.

I pull away and regain my train of thought. "No. I want you to close your eyes until I tell you to open them ok?"

He eyes me with a curious look but does as I ask him. I take his hand and guide him through the house, though he probably doesn't need it. I bring him into his office and take a look myself before I turn to him. Damn Niall did good!

"Open" I say quietly and stand back.

As he looks up above the fireplace, his body stiffens and he becomes completely silent. I'm almost ready to ask him what he thinks when he falls to his knees. I run around in front of him and see the red streaks coming down his face.

"Oh God I'm so sorry, I've upset you!" I say as I start sobbing. I reach out for his hands but his eyes are still focused ahead of him. After a long moment, he seems to snap out of it and slowly looks towards me. His emotions are so jumbled right now; I can't tell what I'm feeling from him, only that it's intense and overwhelming. I should have thought about how he might feel about this gift. "I just wanted to make you happy and I thought that…"

He covers my mouth with his own and kisses me like a gentle caress.

"You are amazing. Please do not cry lover, I am filled with happiness by your thoughtful gift. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough." He says quietly.

"I'm so glad! I thought maybe I made a mistake when I saw your face. When Niall kept asking me if there was something he could do for me, I knew I wanted to do something for you. You're always doing nice things for me and I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you and love you. I asked him to research your lineage and see what he could find since you haven't told me much about… your human life." I say the last part carefully because I know it can be a sensitive subject for vampires, but he nods his head for me to continue. "A few weeks ago when he met me for dinner, he said he found out that your true name is Eirik Svensson. Your Father; Svens was the chieftain of your village and you were the royal heir. After you didn't return from battle, your father sired another child; a son named Assur. For 22 more years your Father ruled before passing away and leaving your younger brother as the new Chieftain. Fast forward about 950 years when a piece of your Father's shield and longboat were found with his sword during a deep sea dive mission. They were submerged when his funeral pyre burned and because they were so deep in the ocean and buried in the sandy bottom, they survived." I look up at the beautiful sword surrounded by the piece of the wooden shield and boat fragment. I had them framed in a beautiful, large cherry wood shadow box.

Eric had listened to me intently while I told the story of him. The tears had slowly streamed down his eyes, but I knew from the bond they were tears of joy and admiration. I sat on the floor with him silently, letting him take it all in. Finally he spoke to me.

"How did you get this?"

"Once Niall tracked down your family legacy, he was able to use some of his Faery magic to discover that a history museum in Sweden has had the artifacts for about 50 years. Let's just say he made a trade for another historical artifact and I made a contribution to the museum and we were allowed to have the pieces transferred to the Shreveport museum." I smiled at him.

"But there is no Shreveport mu…oh. After I was turned, Godric and I left the area so I wouldn't be recognized. Of course at that time, once you were turned you had no choice but to leave because someone would have known me and knew that I wasn't right. I never knew what became of my family until now. My sword was the only thing I managed to hang onto after being made vampire."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to my heart. "Now your Father's sword can have its rightful place alongside yours."

He stared into my eyes until I felt I was drowning in the blues of his. "I am not worthy of your love. You are a Goddess among us and I am forever in your debt for what you have done for me."

"Nonsens. Din kärlek är den största presenten jag någonsin fått. Jag är ingen gudinna, mitt hjärta slår för oss båda." (_Nonsense. Your love is the greatest gift I have ever received. I am no Goddess, my heart beats for both of us.)_

And with that, my Viking picked me up and carried me to our bedroom. He spent the precious few hours before dawn, showing me his gratitude many times.


	13. Live

I woke the next day to the sound of my phone ringing, a precious 5 hours after I fell asleep.

"Hello" I mumble.

"Hey babe! Want to grab some lunch?" Amelia's perky voice came through.

"Yeah sure. When?"

"Meet me in an hour at Merlotte's?"

"Ok see you then. Later."

"Bye! Can't wait to see you!"

You gotta love Amelia. She's probably been up since 7, running around dusting and cleaning and waiting until the minute it hit 11 to call me. Thinking of my roommate and her penchant for cleaning and her unusually perky demeanor, always made me smile. In the few months I had known her, we had become so close already. Growing up with the gift of telepathy didn't make finding friends easy and now to be an adult and finally have people in my life I could count on was worth more than anything to me.

Right at noon, I pulled into my familiar parking spot at the bar. I spotted Amelia's white beamer near the front, so I walked in. As I approached the booth she was sitting at, she stood and hugged me.

"I missed you Sook! The house was lonely without you." She said before stepping back and looking at me with a confused grin on her face. "You're….different. I can feel the magic and faery essence pouring off you, what did you do?"

We sat down in the booth and started talking in whispered tones.

"Well that's one of the things I was going to tell you about. While I was in Mississippi, Claudine brought me a gift from Niall; it was like the life force of a Faery in a bottle. She said it was my choice to take it and if I did, I would become just like a full Faery; powerful, strong, magical, and…practically immortal."

"What?! That's fucking awesome! I wish I had a Faery godmother!" She was truly jealous but laughing it off.

"I know it's crazy! I've already figured out a few things I can do and Claudine said I will probably figure out more, or at least develop new skills as time passes."

"What can you do?"

"Well how about I show you when we get back to the house. There's way too many humans in here."

"Ok, I guess I can wait a little while. So, how's the Viking?"

"That's another thing I was going to tell you. When we flew to Nevada to surprise their vamps, it was Eric who killed the King. That technically made him the King of Nevada." Before I could finish Amelia was interrupting with her frantic questions.

"The King of Nevada? Are you guys moving there? Would that make you the Queen?"

"Slow your role witch, I was about to explain. So, Eric was automatically King because he killed Felipe; but he didn't want to be the King, so he worked it out with Russell and Sophie Ann and now he's the Regent of Louisiana. He promoted Pam to Sheriff of Area 5 so he can oversee all of Louisiana's hierarchy and work right under the Queen. And to answer your question, no we're not moving."

"Wow. I missed a lot in the few days you were gone. That's good to know you're not leaving me, and remind me to send your sweetie a 'Congrats on your promotion' card!" We both laughed at the thought of Hallmark making cards for when vampires ascended to a higher position by murder, treachery, etc.

"Did I miss anything around here?"

"Other than Jane Bodehouse falling off her bar stool and getting a goose egg on her head, or Arlene whining about her new boyfriend cheating on her; then no you didn't miss anything."

_Way to keep it classy Bon Temps_, I thought.

"There is one other little thing, but it's really nothing." She said nervously. I heard it from her brain before the words came out, so it gave me a little warning. "I kind of went on a date with your brother, but if it's weird for you then I'll never call him again."

"Don't be silly! You are my best friend and I would never tell you who you could or couldn't see. The only thing I'll say is that you know Jason doesn't do relationships. He's a perpetual bachelor and always has been, so just don't get your hopes too high. I would have to throttle him if he hurt you." I said grinning at her.

"Oh I know. It's nothing serious, he just stopped by one night when you were gone and when he realized you would be out of town for a few days, he asked me if I wanted to hang out. Don't worry about me; it's just casual and friendly."

I hope she knew what she was getting into with Jason, I've seen him reel girls in and dump them time after time over the years and I wouldn't let him do that to Amelia. I wouldn't tell her, but I was definitely going to be having a chat with my brother later.

We finished eating and talked to Sam for a few minutes before heading back to my house. Once we were alone in my front yard, I showed Amelia all the new Faery tricks I had picked up. I exploded a watermelon with my light power, doubled the bounty in our garden, and then used the telekinesis to put away the gardening tools she had left out. She jumped around excited and squealed like a little school girl all the while and I couldn't help but feel proud of myself and new powers.

We were inside painting our toe nails when I got a call from Alcide.

"Hey Alcide, what's up?" I answered.

"Sookie where are you right now?" He asked sounding alarmed.

"I'm at home, why?"

"Some of my trackers called me and they picked up Jannalynn's scent near Bon Temps. You need to watch out; I know she's angry with you for helping me figure out what she and Ham were doing. She's crazy and I wouldn't put it past her to come after you."

"Thanks for the heads up Alcide, but I'm sure I can handle one more crazy Were bitch." I flinched as the words left my mouth, knowing it would remind him of Debbie.

"I know you're powerful Sook, but I don't want anything to happen to you so please be careful. Call me if you see her or anything suspicious happens ok?"

"Sure thing. I'll keep my eyes open and I'm sure Eric can put someone on tracking her down. I'll call you as soon as I know anything. Bye."

I hung up and huffed like a bratty child.

"What was that all about?" Amelia asked.

"Oh you know; another crazy fucking Were coming after me. I mean really, when will I ever stop being chased by Supes? Especially bitches with a grudge against me for no good reason."

"Sorry sweetie, you just reaffirmed your role in the Supernatural community by taking that potion, so don't expect them to back off anytime soon. She won't be able to get near the house because of the wards I put up, but I'll double check them later to be sure."

"Thanks."

After our toe nails dried, we slipped into our swimsuits and went for a swim in the backyard. We splashed around and sipped margaritas for the rest of the afternoon before laying down in the chaise lounges. We were having so much fun, I wasn't paying attention to how late it was getting. Picking up our stuff and heading back inside, I saw the last of the sunlight creep down into the hills and disappear. I immediately felt the other half of my life force stir inside me; Eric was awake. I pushed my love through the bond and felt it come right back at me. I was about to pick up my phone and call him when I realized that he was already feeling a little closer to me, so he must be coming here.

Amelia was outside chanting around the invisible barrier that surrounded my house when I heard someone scream. I ran outside to find Amelia facing towards the house with a look of terror on her face. It took me a few seconds to realize that Jannalynn was standing behind her with a gun to her back.

"Well well well, if it isn't the little bitch telepath!" Janna yelled at me.

"What do you want Janna? Amelia has nothing to do with this, let her go."

"Shut up! I'll decide what happens here! If you would keep your fucking nose out of everyone's business, we could have had Amanda on board with our plan; but no you had to come in and save the day didn't you?!"

I was trying to determine the best way to take her out, but with her hiding behind Amelia; I couldn't be sure I wouldn't hurt my roomie as well.

"Janna, I didn't know what was going on. I came there to help Russell Edgington and just happened to find out that you and Ham were holding Amanda and forcing her to take V. It's not my fault that you were caught and you know it. If you end this now and turn yourself over to the pack, I'll ask Alcide for leniency with you. I don't think you're that bad of a person that you would want to harm an innocent bystander just to get at me." The truth is I did think she was that bad of a person and I knew I needed to get Amelia out of here quickly. If I could keep her distracted a little longer, Eric would be here soon. I could feel him getting closer by the minute since my fear had shot through us.

"Well you see, your little witch messed up and took one step outside her little wall of protection and I snatched her. I've been out here waiting for you all day and it's the witch that finally steps out of the ward. You can imagine my disappointment when it wasn't you. I think you're right though, I will let her go because she has nothing to do with this. This is between you and me, so step out here past the ward and I'll let her go."

I did exactly as she said and I felt the instant I had stepped outside the safe zone. The pull of the magic was trying to keep me inside, but I resisted and stepped out.

"Now let her go." I said mad as hell.

"Sure." She said and pushed Amelia away from her. She pushed her the opposite way of the safe zone though, so she was still out here with us.

"I really hate you, you know?" She said with a crazy look on her face. I was summoning all my power to blast her when she pointed the gun towards the ground where she had thrown Amelia and fired.

"NO!" I screamed and blasted her with everything I had. She was dead before she even hit the ground. I dropped down beside Amelia who was bleeding out from a bullet wound to the chest. I put both my hands on her chest and sobbed.

"AMELIA LIVE!" I screamed and pushed my essence into her. I had only healed flowers before; I had no idea if it would work with a person.

"Sookie are you alright?" I heard Eric yell beside me. He had whooshed up beside me and wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't speak; I just looked at him with a desperate look on my face and turned back to Amelia.

He looked me over and realized the only blood on me was Amelia's in my hands.

"The Were did this?" He asked.

"Yes…she…Amelia" I sobbed.

"Sookie look." Eric said pointing down at my friend.

The bleeding had stopped and the color was back in her face. She opened her eyes and smiled weakly at me.

"You know, being your friend should come with a bodyguard." She joked.

"Oh God Amelia I'm so sorry! Are you ok? You've been hurt twice because of me, I'm so sorry!" I cried holding her against my chest.

Her arms wrapped around me as her strength came back. "I'm fine actually. It doesn't even hurt anymore, see?" She said looking down at the now closed wound and the bullet that had pushed itself back out.

"Come, let's get you two inside." Eric said lifting both of us and flying over to the house. He set us down in the living room and looked at me.

"Would you like me to give her my blood?" He asked me.

I looked to Amelia, but she shook her head no.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I really appreciate it Eric. I feel completely healed already, in fact I feel strong and alive."

I looked at her and saw nothing but honesty in her eyes, so my panic started to lessen. I walked over to the counter and grabbed my phone to call Alcide.

"Alcide you need to send someone to pick up Janna's body. Yeah she came after me and shot my roommate instead. No, she's ok but Janna is dead and if her body isn't picked up within the hour then I'll bring her back to life just to kill her again slowly." I hissed into the phone and hung up.

Eric looked over at me like a proud parent and let his fangs run down. That last part of my conversation with Alcide probably wasn't necessary, but all I could feel at the moment was rage and bloodlust. I felt Eric trying to calm me through the bond before sending me a mental picture of how he would satisfy my bloodlust later. I gulped hard and tried to suppress the animalistic instincts inside me right now. I wanted to fight and fuck and it took all my self-control to push those thoughts away.

Pop! Claudine appeared in my living room and Eric's nostrils instantly flared.

"Eric would you please step outside for a minute my love?" I asked him before he got any thoughts of biting my godmother.

Pulling his gaze away from her, he nodded his head and walked outside.

"Sookie what is wrong? I felt your fear and anger, then sadness. I was in a room full of people so I had to get away before I could pop here." She said rushing towards me and wrapping me in a hug.

"I'm ok now. One of Alcide's Weres attacked Amelia, trying to get to me." I said walking back over to Amelia. I held her hands in mine, but she genuinely looked good as new. "Janna shot her before I could summon my powers." I looked to my friend with tears filling my eyes again, but she squeezed my hands and shook her head at me.

"Did your vampire heal her?" Claudine asked.

"No, he got here right after it happened. I put my hands on Amelia's wounds and pushed my healing essence into her. Thank goodness it works on more than plants."

Claudine walked over to us. "What exactly did you do?"

"I just touched her and tried to focus my energy on fixing her. I said 'Amelia live' and my light poured into her. After a minute, she healed and now she looks and feels great." I said proudly.

"Amelia dear, let me check you out ok?" Claudine asked softly.

I removed my hands from Amelia's and Claudine took my place on the couch beside her. She put her hands on the witch's shoulders and closed her eyes. After about twenty seconds, she opened her eyes and looked surprised.

"Well am I ok? I surely feel fine." Amelia said.

"Yes you are completely healed."

"Well what's wrong then, because you have that look on your face." I said anxiously. I hope I didn't do anything to mess up Amelia by trying to heal her.

"Well cousin, I think we have found more new abilities of yours." She said, and I nodded for her to continue. "You did an excellent job of healing your friend. In fact, when you shared your essence with her; it boosted her own magic. She will be an even more powerful witch than before."

"Awesome!" Amelia yelled. "Thanks Sookie! Maybe I'll take another hit for you so I can get more power next time." She winked at me.

"It wouldn't hurt you if you did." Claudine said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When you commanded her to live and shared your magic with her, I believe you may have inadvertently given her the gift of immortality."

_**TBC…**_


	14. Life Everlasting

**_Sorry for the hiatus! I've been out of state on a long vacation and haven't had time to write! Hope you all are sticking with me and please leave me some words of encouragement!_**

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"Amelia…I didn't…oh God!" I ran out of the house onto the porch before everyone's piercing eyes could bore a hole through me. My head was spinning and I thought I might be sick; I couldn't believe what Claudine had just told me. Had I really just made my best friend immortal? How? I had no thoughts that anything would happen besides healing Amelia when I put my hands on her. This is one of those things I should have been taught right away so things like this wouldn't happen. _Poor Amelia, she's going to hate me_. She didn't make this choice, I did; albeit I didn't do it on purpose, but it didn't change the facts. I had been given the option to decide if I wanted to wield more powers and live almost forever; Amelia didn't have that choice.

Feeling the storm of my emotions; Eric had hung up his phone and come vamp speed to me on the porch.

"Sookie, what is wrong? The witch is healed, is she not?" he asked.

"Eric oh my God, what I did…I didn't mean to, I was just trying to save her." I babbled.

"You did save her, I don't understand. Explain."

"She's immortal. I did it. When I healed her, I did something wrong; instead of just fixing her, I made it so she will live….forever."

Eric looked at me with a surprised look on his face but kept quiet. I knew his brain was trying to process what I was telling him.

"Your power did this to her?"

"Yes, but I didn't know it would. I swear I was just trying to help, I didn't want her to die."

"Lover, I'm not sure why you are so troubled. From what you've told me, your best friend will now not succumb to the fragility of death that humans have and you have proved once again that your Fae powers are extraordinary. What is the problem?"

I jerked back in shock as I yelled. "What is the problem? The problem is that I just took away her human life, her mortality. I didn't ask her if that's what she wanted and now it's too late. Now she's going to live God knows how long and she didn't make the decision if that's what she wanted!"

"I am not trying to further upset you Sookie; I just don't see how this is so terrible. You saved her life, gave her more power, and now she will walk this world just as she is now; never growing old or becoming sick and fragile. You have given her the most precious gift that can be given to a human."

"Eric you just don't get it! Just because you love living century after century, doesn't mean that's the life everyone else wants! I had no right to make that choice for her and I wouldn't have if I would have known what I was doing."

"I see you feel guilt over taking away the decision from her, but as you also said; you had no idea what you were doing when you healed her. Would you rather you had not intervened? She would be dead in your front yard right now if you wouldn't have saved her. Has it occurred to you that you no longer have to worry about watching another person you care about grow old and die?"

I was silent as I contemplated his words. He was right; ever since I had taken the potion, I had groveled with the fact that I would have to watch so many around me age and die. A little selfish part of me was relieved that Amelia wouldn't be going anywhere, but it didn't make up for the fact that if she didn't want this, then I would hate myself for doing it to her.

"That's not the point! I can't keep someone alive forever because I'm too selfish to let them go, that's not how life works."

"Well we will have to agree to disagree on that one. What did Amelia say? Is she upset with what has taken place?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask her yet. I was so shocked and horrified, I just ran out of there. I'm scared to go back and face her. What if she can't stand me anymore? What if she hates me for doing this to her?" The tears I had been willing back were pushing their way out and I couldn't stop them.

Eric wrapped me in his arms and licked my tears away. "That would be foolish and stupid if she did." Before I could rail on him that he still didn't get it, he continued. "Why don't you go back in there and ask her how she feels about this? That is the only way to know where things stand."

I nodded up at him and he released me to walk back inside. I stopped when I realized he wasn't following me. I grabbed his hand and pulled him next to me.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you?" He asked.

"Yes. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know I need you beside me."

He nodded and walked inside with me. I looked at the couch in my living room to find Claudine sitting with Amelia, talking softly.

"Amelia, I don't really know what to say. I was just trying to save you; I didn't know what I was really doing." I couldn't finish before Amelia was walking towards me. _Oh no, here it goes. She's going to hate me._

She looked into my eyes for a moment, not saying anything. I was about to break the silence when she flung her arms around my neck and squeezed me to her.

Shocked, I dropped Eric's hand and hugged her right back.

"Oh Amelia, can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" She said, pulling back. "What in the world is there to forgive you for? You saved my life and in doing so, gave me more powers than I could have garnered on my own, and now….I get to live essentially forever. I should be kissing your feet in gratitude!"

"Really? You're ok with this? I took the choice away from you; you didn't get to make up your mind if this was the life you wanted."

"Are you kidding me? You know how jealous I am of all the new powers and long life you have. Hell while you were gone, I had been thinking about having Octavia remove my magical abilities so I could ask Pam to turn me. This worked out even better because I don't have to give up food and sunlight!"

Well that was Amelia, always seeing the bright side of things. I didn't know if she fully grasped what his meant for her. Maybe she was in shock.

"Amelia I'm glad you seem to be happy about this, but I don't think you realize what all this means for you. An endless life isn't all sunshine and roses. You'll get to keep walking the earth, but you will have to watch people around you that you care about die." Another tear slid down my cheek as I thought about the night after I had taken the potion and the realization that Jason would be one of those people hit me all over again.

She looked at me thoughtfully for a minute, weighing her response in her head before speaking.

"Let's take a look at what I stand to lose. My mother died a long time ago; I have no siblings, no husband, and no children. My father might as well be dead to me for how much I see him or care about him. The truth is before I came to Bon Temps with you, I was painfully alone. Sure I had my witch friends, but that was more of a mutual interest than any deep relationships. When I met you, it felt like I had known you my whole life. Then coming here and meeting Pam, Jason, Tara, Claudine, and Sam; well I finally felt like I had what I've been missing my whole life. I finally have a family. Hell I've even become fond of the Viking, even though he scares me sometimes. I know Jason and Tara are mortal, but that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy having a long life with them in it. Pam and Claudine definitely aren't going anywhere anytime soon and with Sam being a Supe, he'll have a longer life than most. More importantly when you told me this morning that now you would be among those with everlasting life, it made me all the more determined to have the same. I don't think I'm losing anything, I think I'm gaining a whole lot more."

Claudine had come to stand beside Amelia and was smiling at her acceptance of her new life. If I was being honest with myself, I knew from some of Amelia's thoughts that she had considered being turned. Now days though, almost all people at least think about it so I never read too much into it. Amelia had made her envy of my supernatural life well known and I guess I didn't realize how much she truly wanted the same for herself.

"Cousin I know you are upset, but your friend seems truly happy with this. Both of you should know that I will be available at any time to help you through all these changes in any way I can. I'm going to give you some privacy, so I'll get going and Sookie I will see you in two days for our appointment. Now, cheer up there is much to be happy about." Poof!

"She sure knows how to make an exit." Amelia said cheerfully. "What are you two doing tonight?"

Still dumbfounded by the abrupt end of the conversation, I just sat there not speaking so Eric decided to join the conversation.

"Actually lover I was going to tell you that I need to fly to New Orleans, but I will be back right before dawn. I was wondering if you would mind going to Fangtasia and working on the payroll for me?"

"Sure I can do that." I said shaking myself out of my stupor. "Amelia would you like to come with me?"

"Sure, let me just get changed." Amelia said before heading off to the guest bathroom to get showered. Apparently, looking like a hot mess who just got shot by a werewolf and then brought back to life was not the look she was going for this evening.

After she left the room, I looked up at Eric and rested my head on his chest. "Is everything alright? Why are you going to New Orleans?"

"Sophie Ann has asked me to come speak with her tonight before she leaves for Nevada. Understandably she is throwing herself into her work so she doesn't have to sit around and think of all she's lost in the past few months."

"I know vamps are all big and bad and non-feeling, but I really feel sorry for her. First Waldo betrays her by killing Hadley, now losing Andre because he betrayed her in the worst way; I can't imagine how much that would hurt."

"Vampires are strong and sometimes we seem to have no feelings because you have to in order to survive for so long. That doesn't mean that we don't feel though. As you and your roommate are now a part of the supernatural community, this is something you will come to understand the longer you live. Unlike most vampires though, you will never be alone because you will always have me." He said kissing my forehead.

We stood in the living room holding each other and pulsing our love back and forth between the bond before I reluctantly stepped away.

"I guess I better go get changed too. Where are you staying tonight?"

"Since you will be working at Fangtasia, why don't you go to my house when you finish since it is closer and I will meet you there when my business is done. If you drive your car, just have Amelia drive it back here after dropping you off and you can use mine tomorrow if you need to leave while I'm resting for the day."

"Ok, wake me up when you get home. I love you." We said our goodbyes before Eric walked out to the porch and took to the sky. I showered and put on a nice dress and we left for the bar almost an hour later.

Despite everything that had happened today, Amelia was in great spirits that night. She drank and danced; flirted with Pam and had a great time. I downed two painkiller shots before heading back to the office to get to work. I needed something to take the edge off the stressful day I'd had, but any more and I might have accidentally messed up everyone's paychecks. I didn't want Eric to come back and find that his drunk girlfriend had screwed up his payroll.

At 2am, I was done with all the books and exhausted. I found Amelia sitting in a booth with Pam and asked her if she wanted to drop me at Eric's and take my car home.

"Actually Pam has invited me to stay with her tonight, so you can take the car to Eric's house and if you leave tomorrow, call me and I'll ride back home with you."

"Ok sure. Well goodnight guys."

"Night Sook!" Amelia called.

"Goodnight my friend." Pam followed.

Damn apparently Amelia's good mood had rubbed off on everyone; even Pam was more openly chipper than usual. I knew without my other ability that Amelia had told Pam about what happened earlier. Apparently the news of Amelia's new life span had Pam very happy.

On the drive to Eric's house, I thought to myself about the events that transpired today. _You didn't know what would happen and you had to save her. She's happy about this and you can't deny that the thought of not losing her is definitely appealing. I just have to be more careful with my powers from now on. I definitely need more lessons with Claudine and I can't put it off. When I see her in a few days, I'm going to make sure to set up more time for her to train me._

In the house, I pulled off my clothes and cleaned my face before slipping on one of Eric's t-shirts. It was a faded purple shirt with a white dove on it and Eric told me it came from Woodstock. Apparently he and Pam had gone in 1969 and had a blast. He knew this was an event that humans were going to be talking about for a long time to come so he "convinced" a backstage crew member to give him their shirt as a keepsake. I crawled into bed and sleep quickly pulled me under. I woke two hours later when I felt Eric tuck himself into the bed behind me.

"Hi." I said turning to kiss my Viking.

"How was your night lover?"

"It was fine, I got the entire payroll done and then straightened the mess of papers you had on your desk. You might want to think about getting more organized."

"Well why would I waste my time with that when my beautiful lover will come in and do it for me?" He said smirking.

"Your lover isn't your maid." I said elbowing him.

"Of course not, but I don't trust anyone but you and Pam to touch my things and you know how dreadfully lazy my child is. Loyal, but very lazy."

"So what did the Queen have to say? Did she seem alright?"

"You are an amazing creature; you worry for the feelings of a vampire Queen. Your heart is almost too big. Anyways, she is not herself; she is distracted and sullen. She has asked that I run the state while she is gone to Nevada for at least a month. She will return briefly in a week from Saturday to perform the ceremony to appoint me as Regent, and then she will go back to Nevada."

"So how do you feel about being in charge for a while? I know you've said you don't want to be King."

"I don't and I am not pleased about running things while she is gone, but I can't let her weakened state affect us all. If another monarch gets it in their head that she is vulnerable right now and could be overthrown, we may not be as lucky as we just were thwarting a takeover. It will only be temporary and hopefully after spending some time away in Nevada and being busy with that, it will help her to return to us as strong as before."

"So if you're a temporary King, does that make me a temporary Queen?" I asked jokingly.

"Oh _min karlek_ you are always my Queen. Why don't you turn around here and let me show you how I worship you?"

He kissed up my neck and before I lost myself to his touch, I looked into his eyes.

"Being Queen might not be so bad after all."


	15. One Is The Loneliest Number

It was two days later when Amelia and I were driving over to Monroe to meet Claudine at the spa. The original appointment was only for my Godmother and me; but after what happened with Amelia, I was keeping her close to my side to see how she was really dealing with her new life. So far so good, but I know all too well that suddenly becoming a Supe is not something to be taken lightly. With that in mind, Claudine had happily agreed to let Amelia come along.

"I can't wait to get a pedicure, it's been too long. Especially since _someone_ had to cover so many waitressing shifts while you were out of town playing detective." Amelia said playfully.

"Well you know how it is when you're having so much fun you just don't want to come home." I said laying the sarcasm on thick.

"Oh yea, I know it was just that big blonde keeping you to himself. The whole takeover thing was just a ruse to steal you away for a week."

"You got me."

"So anyways, thanks for letting me tag along! Ever since I stopped relying on Daddy's credit cards, it actually makes me think twice before pampering myself."

"You never seem to hesitate when we go shopping!"

"Yeah, well I just said I'm not _completely_ relying on his credit cards; doesn't mean I can't use them for practical things like clothes, shoes, handbags, etc. I think of it like a business expense. I obviously need nice clothes to wear while I'm out; I mean someone might want to ask me about doing business with my father. The way I see it; I'm helping him by looking so fashionable when I'm out, so he might as well pay for it."

"That's some pretty interesting logic there sweetie."

Amelia just smiled and didn't put anymore thought into her 'reasoning.' Sometimes I can see why she gets along with Pam so well; the shopping and credit card addiction is a bonding factor. Eric complains that I don't use my cards enough that he gave me; while Pam says she's just making up for my unused portion.

"So what are you having done?" Amelia asked.

"Just a mani/pedi and a massage. What about you?"

"Well since all of us don't have regular infusions of thousand year old vampire blood, I'm getting the mani/pedi, a sugar scrub, and a facial."

It was true that I didn't need anything in the market of making my skin look better. With the blood I regularly took from Eric, it kept my skin blemish free and smooth as a baby's behind. We talked about nothing in particular until we reached the spa a few minutes later. Claudine's car was already here so we went in.

"Hey girls!" Claudine greeted while pulling me in for a bear hug.

"Hey Claudine! You haven't been waiting on us too long have you?" I asked.

"Oh no, I just got here a few minutes early; you're right on time."

Claudine was always chipper, but today she was practically beaming. Maybe she really had some calluses to get rid of? Before I could inquire about her mood, a very sophisticated looking older lady ushered us around the corner and led us to the back for our separate treats first. Amelia and Claudine went off for their facial and sugar scrubs while I stripped down for my massage. Claudine needed the facial and scrub even less than me, but Faeries do love to indulge.

I was as excited as the poor country cousin for mine because this was only my second professional massage. Of course I had checked to make sure I would have a female masseuse before we got here; it wouldn't go over well with a certain Viking if a man was rubbing all over my naked body. A little over an hour later, we were reunited sitting side by side getting our pedicures and gossiping like teenagers.

"Is Sam seeing anybody?" Amelia asked.

"Not that I know of, but then again we don't see each other nearly as much as we used to. Why do you think he is?"

"Well I noticed while you were gone that he skipped out of the restaurant early a few nights and I went to get him out of his office one time and he was talking on the phone with someone; let's just say it didn't sound like he was talking to the beer distributor." She said wagging her eyebrows.

"Hmm, I don't know. I hope if he is that she does him right. Lord knows if anybody deserves to be happy, it's Sam."

"Excuse me ladies; your packages include wine on the house, so here are the selections." A girl said coming up and handing us a small menu.

Amelia and I decided on the Riesling and Claudine asked for a water instead.

"Now Claudine I've seen you down a few drinks in Merlotte's; are you on strike or something?" Amelia laughed.

Claudine turned to us with the biggest grin I've ever seen and replied. "No I'm pregnant!"

After taking a moment to gasp and squeal, I collected myself to throw my arms around her the best I could from my chair.

"Oh my God! Are you serious? I didn't even know you were serious with anyone!" I blurted out before considering that might sound tacky.

"I mean…oh I'm sorry that didn't come out right" I said blushing.

"It's fine." She said waving her hand dismissively.

"This is awesome!" Amelia squealed.

Realizing that we couldn't talk much more about the details in front of the human staff, I decided to let it go until we left. Of course all the staff heard us freaking out, so they all figured out what we were so excited about. The owner even came out and handed Claudine a white rose and congratulated her. My fierce, radiant, strong Faery Godmother who I had seen behead enemies with her bare hands, was actually weepy at the gesture. You didn't need to be a telepath to see that this baby meant everything to her. I couldn't imagine how happy my great grandfather must be right now. The Fae were in desperate need of more pure blood Faeries and their fertility issues were well known around the Supe community.

I was still trying to figure out whom the father was and if it was planned and all the other questions in my head when we left two hours later. We all went and sat in my car with the air blasting and as soon as the doors were all closed I couldn't take it anymore.

"Ok spill all the details!" I said.

"Well, as you know the Fae have many issues with infertility and producing a pure Faery is getting harder and harder." She said this with an all too familiar pain in her eyes. "I have longed for a child for ages, but I had almost given up all hope that I would ever be a mother; that is until a few months ago. I knew I was going through a fertile cycle, so I mated with Colman and found out a short time later that we had in fact conceived a child." She said putting her hands on her stomach.

"I didn't know that you were seeing anyone; especially not so seriously."

She gave a slight laugh before answering. "I'm afraid Faery relations are not the same as humans for the purpose of conceiving a child. We aren't in a steady relationship as you would think, but he is a wonderful man and a pure Faery. He will be a good father and protector to our baby."

She's right that it did seem a little odd to me that she got knocked up by someone whom she wasn't even dating, but hey who I am to judge? I knew from many humans' actions and thoughts that just because they could produce a baby didn't mean they should. I knew without any doubt that Claudine would be a wonderful mother and I told her as much.

"Aww! We're gonna throw you a baby shower and spoil that kid rotten!" Amelia said delighted.

"Claudine I'm so happy for you! You are going to be a wonderful mother!" It was true that I was ecstatic for my Godmother, but I couldn't help that tiny piece of me that was a little envious that she would now have her own biological child to take care of. I knew even that fraction of jealousy I felt was wrong, but she was the closest thing I had to a mother and I didn't want to lose that connection.

As if she could read my mind, she drew me into another hug and whispered in my ear.

"You know I will always think of you as my first child. I love you as I love this baby inside me, and I will always be there for you."

Oh great now all three of us were boo-hooing. After congratulating her a few more times, we said our goodbyes and Amelia and I headed back to Bon Temps.

The next evening I was sitting around reading one of my romance novels and fantasizing about a tall, blonde Viking doing some pillaging when my phone rang. With Eric being out of town, I was a little surprised to see Fangtasia pop up on my phone.

"Hello"

"Good evening my friend. Are you well?" Pam asked.

"Uh yea I'm good, how about you?"

"I am well also. I thought with my master being out of town you might need something to occupy your time."

"Don't you think I can entertain myself for a few nights without Eric? I'm not dependent on him for my happiness you know." I said with false indignation. It was true that I really was going stir crazy without my mischievous vampire.

"Oh really? And what pray tell are you doing this evening? Let me guess; sitting on your couch in one of those oversized sleep shirts of yours and reading a trashy romance novel?"

I actually looked out the windows to make sure she wasn't standing outside watching me. Looking down at my faded old t-shirt, I sighed because she was right.

"Did you need something Pam?"

"Yes actually I was wondering if you would mind interviewing some humans for the waitressing positions I have open. You obviously have experience in this area and it will prevent me from wasting my time with the vermin more than necessary. It would be much appreciated and I'm sure Eric will pay you for the trouble."

"First off; I'd be glad to help and second; Eric will not be paying me. Friends can ask each other favors without expecting anything in return."

"Have I mentioned you are my favorite breather? Well you and that delicious roommate of course."

"Thanks Pam! You're not so bad either; for a dead gal."

She just snorted and said "bye Tinkerbell."

With Eric being so busy at the Queen's compound in New Orleans, I tried to tell myself I was just doing this to help out his business while he was away. It seemed too pathetic on my part to admit that I was jumping at the chance to go hang out with Pam. I had considered going to Fangtasia last night to see her, but didn't want her endless teasing about how I couldn't stand being without Eric anymore. Don't get me wrong; I'm still a strong willed independent woman, but since our bond had strengthened, I found it harder to be away from Eric for any extended length of time. Damn is that pathetic? Oh well, I'll blame it on the blood bond and all the vamp magic making me crazy.

I waltzed up to the customer entrance and Pam immediately pulled me past the waiting line and in the building, which caused several irate fangbangers to voice their opinions on having to wait in line.

"Why does she get to go ahead? We've been waiting almost an hour….and we look way hotter." Said a mousy little brunette with way too much makeup.

"She gets to go ahead because _she_ isn't a pathetic bloodbag hoping to convince a desperate vampire to bite her skanky ass!" Pam yelled. "Now be glad I don't drain you for those fugly Louboutin knockoffs!"

"Geez Pam! Can't you get in trouble for threatening them like that?" I whispered as she ushered me to Eric's table.

"No those idiots love it when I get riled up. Makes them feel like they're walking on the wild side."

"If you say so. So you want me to interview some girls?"

"Yes, I'll send them over one at a time and let you talk to them. Make a few notes and decide who you think will suck the least. I need at least two."

"Ok."

"So how are you faring without your incredible bed mate?"

"Um it's fine. I know he's busy right now and I don't want him worrying about me just because I'm lonely. Also, some of us don't require a fuck with every meal Pam."

"But it's the best way to end a night" She said cheerfully.

I had a sudden moment of panic when I thought about my last statement. I hadn't seen Eric in a few days and I knew he would need to feed…

"Don't worry princess; Eric is perfectly able to survive off that synthetic crap until he is home with you."

She must have read the worry across my face. Predators are good at knowing what their prey is thinking.

"I didn't think he would or anything but, you know he's…well he's Eric…and…"

"Yes he is Eric and you are Sookie and you my dear are the only fuck he wants with his meals."

Turning red, I asked her to send the girls over whenever she was ready and I sat down with a little notebook.

After an hour and a half of asking the dumb questions that all interviewers ask, I had narrowed it down to three girls. Two of the skanks; I mean applicants were automatically disqualified when I 'heard' them thinking about how they hoped to get the job so they could seduce the blonde hunk that worked here. Two other girls just seemed too dumb to protect themselves in a vamp bar, and the other three seemed to meet Pam's qualifications. On my interview notebook I noticed Pam had scrawled a few notes of what she was looking for in her staff; obviously as a professional courtesy to me.

-Attractive

-Not retarded

-No blondes (they would pale in comparison to me)

-More intelligent and coordinated than a typical human

-No prejudices against vampires

-No prudes

-Needs to be bisexual or open to experimentation (if they are really kinky, send them directly to me for further interviewing)

After I finished up, I sat back in the booth and closed my eyes trying to put my shields back in place. I didn't sense the void that was approaching until she coughed to get my attention.

"Hello Miss Stackhouse. I hope you are well this evening." Felicia said as she placed a gin and tonic in front of me.

"Hey Felicia. I'm good, I hope things are going good for you as well; and please call me Sookie."

I hadn't seen or heard anything about Felicia in the week we had been home and honestly I was scared to ask Eric what he had done with her. He promised to give her leniency once she was released to him, but it would be foolish of me to think that everything would be peachy between them.

"Yes I am well and I hear that has a lot to do with you."

"I'm not sure what I could have done, but I know you were put in a terrible position and it wasn't fair to you."

"I can see why the Sheriff is so taken with you. It is not often I meet a human with such compassion for others; especially vampires."

"Well I just try to treat other people the way I want to be treated. I don't have any kids, but I can only imagine how terrible it would be for someone to threaten your son to make you obey their rule. Eric is a powerful vampire, but I'm sure even he could see that you didn't have a choice."

"Yes, Master Eric is more than fair. I thought for sure I would meet the final death that night; I thought if I was lucky it would be quick."

"You didn't deserve the final death and I'm glad Eric could see that too."

"Well I won't take up too much of your time; I just wanted to thank you for your words on my behalf. I am in your debt."

"You're very welcome and you don't owe me anything. It was the right thing to do."

At that she gave me a slight bow and walked back to the bar. I grabbed my drink and went to find Pam, who was in Eric's office. Looking around at his extra suit hanging up and the polaroid of us in New Orleans, made me miss him even more. Pam was signing off on some order forms when I came in and kept writing as she spoke to me.

"So did you find anyone?"

"Yeah there's three girls who meet at least most of your 'qualifications'. I told them that someone from the bar would get back with them in the next few days and take it from there."

"Excellent. I hope they meet the important qualifications." She purred the last word.

"The pretty redhead thinks you're hot and wonders what it would be like to kiss a girl. I'm not sure about the other two, but they have previous waitressing experience and didn't seem to object to anything they saw going on, so that's probably a good sign."

"Oh this turned out even better than I hoped! Perhaps you should work for us full time."

"I already come in part time, but I think you and Eric both would get tired of seeing me all the time."

"Nonsense. You and I are girlfriends are we not? The master would love to see you anytime."

I gave her a warning glance before answering.

"Of course we are girl _friends_. I think I'll keep my schedule the way it is for now, but if I decide to seek higher employment, I promise you'll be the first call I make." I gave her my best non-crazy grin.

It was 3 AM before I was back in my crappy pajamas and snuggled under my covers. The drive back home without anyone else in the car made me crave my bed with a vengeance. I had just closed my eyes when I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand beside me.

Eric: What are you wearing?

Sookie: Nothing

Eric: I'll be there in 20 mins

Sookie: JK…you stay there and get your work done your Majesty ;)

Eric: But I miss your warm body…

Sookie: I miss you too…can't wait to see you…when are you coming home?

Eric: Probably 3 more days…I don't know if I can bear to be outside of you for that long

Sookie: Me either :( Do what you gotta do though…I love you

Eric: I love you my Queen…I will call tomorrow evening

Deciding to give my man a special treat for all his hard work, I pulled off my t-shirt and sat up on my knees in the bed. After fluffing my hair around and teasing my nipples, I took a full frontal shot of myself and sent it to Eric with the caption "Cum home soon" It only took him about ten seconds to reply.

Eric: You are a cruel mistress…but I will punish you when I return. Many times.


	16. Roommates

The next three days passed surprisingly quickly even though I was anxiously waiting for Eric to come home. He told me he wouldn't have to spend all his time in New Orleans while he was watching the state for Sophie-Ann, but right now there was too much to do to try and work from Shreveport; either way I didn't like it. The five days we had already been apart were doable, but I didn't know if I could stand for him to be gone this much for the next few months. Tonight however, I was riding on a cloud of joy because my honey was coming home.

He made good on his word and had only kept me waiting for three more days before coming home and promised that we would have a date tonight when he returned. Unfortunately in my excitement I had woke up at 7:30 this morning and now had too many hours to pass in the day before nightfall. After making myself some breakfast, I set about cleaning the house to keep me occupied for a few hours. Sadly with my love of cleaning and Amelia's OCD; the house was pretty much spotless as it was. I sat down in the living room a short two hours after waking up and tried to make a plan for the day.

"Morning." Amelia called as she reached the bottom of the steps.

"Oh good morning" I said jumping up to greet her.

"Well you're up early, you got big plans for today?

"No, I'm just a big ball of nerves because Eric is coming home tonight and I'm really excited and I woke up too damn early; wanna go do something?" I managed to get it out in one breath.

"Um ok, how much coffee have you had this morning?"

"Oh just about 4 cups; big cups. How could you tell?" I say laughing at myself for how cracked out I must sound.

"So what do you want to do? I can definitely keep you occupied until your man gets here."

After sitting down and chatting with her for a few minutes while she ate; it dawned on me what we could do to not only pass the time, but be productive as well.

"I know what we can do! It will involve shopping so I'm sure you'll be ok with it." At that Amelia's eyes lit up.

"Do tell…are we going lingerie shopping? Perhaps some costumes for role play?"

"No! Last week when I was at the children's hospital, I noticed their 'library' was looking pretty skimpy so I was thinking we could drive out to Monroe to that discount book store and stock up. Then maybe we could go by Costco and get snacks and drinks for the family lounge."

"Aw that's a great idea! I've been meaning to come with you; but it's just so sad seeing those kids being sick and their parents so sad…"

"It definitely can be, but I promise that the smile they get when you go visit them will more than make up for all the sad stuff. I didn't think I'd ever have the luxury of doing something like this since I could never manage college; becoming a pediatric nurse was out of the question. Now I have some free time and I can go and play with them and read to them; it's one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. You'll be great at it."

"Alright well let me throw some clothes on. I have to admit, it will feel good to use Dad's credit card for such a worthy cause."

"Amelia Broadway are you becoming a humanitarian?" I said faking my shock.

"What can I say; you bring out the good in people. Don't tell anyone I'm doing this though, I don't want people to think I'm too soft or anything. I do have a kick ass witch image to uphold." She said smirking.

Half an hour later, we were walking out to my car when I realized we were going to have a problem.

"So you and I both drive sports cars; how are we going to fit everything?" I said looking at the driveway.

"Hmm, good question. I don't know. Maybe we'll have to drive both?"

"Nope I've got an idea. As much as I hate to call this asshole, I think he can help us out." I said pulling out my phone.

"Hello Miss Stackhouse. Is there something I can help you with?" Bobby; Eric's day guy answered like he would rather be having an acid enema than helping me.

"Hey Bobby, I was wondering if you could meet me in Monroe with the Fangtasia van if you're not too busy?"

"Of course. Your wish is my command. When and where?"

_You can cut the sarcasm jerk. _"In half an hour at Books-A-Million would be great."

"Ok." Click.

Turning back to Amelia, "I really can't stand him. I don't know why he has to be such a jerk all the time; maybe he really needs to get laid."

"Honey I think the one he wants to get laid by is the one throwing it to you! Maybe that's why he's jealous of you."

"That's just creepy. I'm going to have to burn my brain after that thought. Come on, we'll take my car and I'll let Bobby take it back to Shreveport and I'll pick it up tonight."

After swapping our cars and a few more death glares from Bobby, we were walking into the bookstore with a mission. We found the children's section and picked up a few copies of almost all the books. Everything from the baby books filled with bright pictures and textured pages to the tween/teen novels were overflowing our little hand baskets. After almost cleaning out the children's section, we moved on to the sci-fi (my personal favorite), humor, historical and personal enrichment sections to get some books for the family lounge as well. We tried to get books that weren't too serious or sad, because let's face it; the people there have enough on their plates without reading about it. I did throw in two copies of some comfort/self-help type books but other than those, everything else was lighthearted enough.

At the check-out, the cashier was dying to know what we were doing with so many books, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her because I didn't want to sound like I was fishing for recognition for what I was doing. I was raised to believe what Matthew said in the Bible about not doing your good deeds in front of others to be seen by them. As long as the kids liked the new books, their smiles were all the gratitude I needed. I used my Moonlight Cosmetics company card to pay for all the books, even though Amelia offered to pay half.

"Don't worry about it. If I use the company shareholder card, they will write it off on their taxes as a charitable donation anyways. Everybody wins." I say beaming.

"Ok fine, but I'm helping pay for the other stuff."

We browsed through Costco picking up all kinds of snacks, baked goods, drinks, paper plates, cups, magazines, etc. and after a quick call to the head nurse of pediatrics; we also got 20 electric blankets. She said the patients could only use the warmed blankets the hospital provided, but the parents would love them. As agreed, I let Amelia put half the tab on her (her Dad's) credit card and I covered the other half out of my personal account. It felt so good to use my own money to provide simple things that would hopefully make a big difference for the kids and their families; it was definitely a perk to becoming wealthy.

An hour later Amelia and I had several custodians and a few nurses walking down to the parking garage to help unload the van. They seemed a little unnerved at first when they saw the red dripping 'Fangtasia' on the side, but they were more than grateful to get the supplies. I figured it definitely couldn't hurt human/vampire relations to see the vamp bar bringing all the supplies to the hospital. If Eric were up, he would probably have alerted the press to get a photo-op.

By the time we returned home it was 6 in the evening and after a quick dinner; I went to shower, exfoliate, shave, and otherwise primp myself as much as possible. My tan was good and dark since I had spent a few hours each day this past week lying out by the pool. I didn't know what was on the agenda for tonight so I opted for a short, strapless white sundress and my silver Bobs. Rule #1 when dating a vamp is no silver, so my silver glitter flats were as close as I could get.

I went downstairs to watch TV with Amelia while I waited for Eric to get there, but I mostly just paced the floor waiting. After the third time of her yelling at me to sit down and relax, I felt a familiar warmth spread through my body. My heart rate picked up and I instantly had butterflies; Eric was getting close. Even Amelia could tell the slight vibrations in me.

"Sit down or I'll turn you into a chair Faery." She joked.

"Oh really?" I said levitating her almost to the ceiling.

"I don't care, I like sitting on the ceiling. Hey Sook, when did you get that ugly ass pimple on the end of your nose?"

"What are you talk…Amelia!" I said gasping at the crater now on the end of my nose.

"Think you're funny huh?" I said before creating a little rain shower cloud right above Amelia's head. Weather manipulation was a new thing I had been practicing with Claudine.

"Thanks I needed a shower!" She grinned and mumbled a few words before pointing at me.

I looked down to see that I was now clad in a tight latex dominatrix outfit; whip and nipple tassels included.

"This doesn't bother me" I lied. "In fact I love latex! But to be fair, I'll bring you down though."

Oh I brought her down alright, right into the mud puddle in the grassy knoll that was now my living room.

"Oops" I said.

With the fun of our little magic battle, I didn't notice that Eric had arrived and was now stepping through the door.

"Maybe I should come back later?" Came that cool voice right behind me.

I turned around and jumped into his arms. "Eric!"

He leaned away from me after a moment and took in my outfit (including the whip I was still holding.)

"Have I mentioned I have been very, very bad?" He said almost growling.

I probably turned six shades of red before Amelia and I both burst out laughing.

"We were just goofing around you know, like roommate do." Amelia said now in tears. The sight was even funnier because she was still sitting in the mud puddle.

"Yeah maybe like Lord of the Rings roommates!" I said giggling.

"I see. I thought perhaps you decided to change careers while I was away." He said.

I leaned up and gave him a big kiss and whispered "I'm so glad you're home!" I could feel the happiness and love radiating through the bond.

"If you'll just excuse us for a minute?" I said to my Viking before walking towards Amelia; on my grassy living room floor. Yep just regular old roommate shenanigans I thought.

After a few waves of my hand and a few chants from Amelia, we were both set back to rights and there was no longer a meadow in my living room. Bless his unbeating heart, Eric just sat quietly on the chair waiting for us to quit laughing and fix ourselves.

Finally he stood and wrapped his arms around me, and said "Ready?"

"Yep." I grabbed his hand like a little schoolgirl and we walked outside. "Oh I forgot to tell you, my car is at Fangtasia."

Of course Eric had flown to get here so fast, so neither of us had a car.

"No worries." He said before gripping me to him and taking to the sky. No matter how many times I flew with him, it never got old. The butterflies in your stomach, the wind in your hair, it was always a rush.

We didn't talk much during our flight to Fangtasia; I just nuzzled his neck and kissed his cheek, luxuriating in the scent and feel of him again. Damn had it really only been five days?

"Lover if you keep that up, we won't make it to our date." He said flashing his fangs at me.

Feeling the tingle of his words spread through my lower body, I almost said "what date?" I reconsidered though because I really wanted a date with my honey. Besides, I would thoroughly dominate him later after seeing the look he gave me in the dominatrix outfit. It must be a power thing with vamps that they like their woman to take control in the bedroom sometimes; probably because Eric always has to be in charge, he doesn't mind being under my control…once in a while.

Eric drove because I still hadn't been informed of where we were going. The fact that he was wearing jeans and a fitted t-shirt, made me feel good about my own outfit choices. At least I knew we weren't going to some super fancy restaurant. I could see the reason for his casual attitude after a few minutes when we pulled in to the county fair. I looked over at Eric in surprise.

"Are we going here?"

"Yes, this is fun for humans right?"

"Of course! I didn't think this would be the kind of place you would want to go though."

"Am I not fun?"

I leaned over and took his hand. "Of course you are! I just didn't know you went to the fair"

"I don't, this is my first time. Come. let's see what all the fuss is about."

We must have caught quite a few looks for the fact that I was a human at the fair with a six and a half foot, gorgeous Viking. Granted he was dead probably had something to do with the looks, but they could stuff their opinions where the sun don't shine for all I cared. I was too happy being on a date with my love and having a great time to worry about other people.

"I felt many emotions from you today lover, even in my day sleep. What were you up to?"

I explained to him how Amelia and I had taken all the donations to the children's hospital and the looks on the kid's faces when we hauled all the new books in. He especially liked the part where I told him that the staff noticed it was a Fangtasia van bringing all the freebies.

"That was very kind of you. Most humans without sick children do not think to show such kindness. Fangtasia will be making a large donation in the next few days."

"Really? Eric that would be awesome!" I said rewarding him with a kiss.

"It's a great tax write off."

"Uh huh, don't worry big bad Sheriff...I mean _your Majesty_; I won't tell anyone." I slapped at him playfully.

"Let's get you some of those weird fried concoctions that are everywhere."

This was another time I was glad I wasn't a vampire. Fair food is terribly unhealthy, but damn it's good! I ate a corn dog while Eric leered at me suggesting other things I could put in my mouth, before we started riding rides.

"Tell me again what the point of this is?" He asked as we stood in line for the tilt-a-whirl.

"Um to have fun. Not all of us can be super cool vamps with the ability to fly Eric; we have to find other ways to amuse ourselves."

"I can amuse you if you would like. However _this_ is no laughing matter." He proceeded to pull me closer to show me what _this_ he was talking about.

"Ahh..Eric quit it!" I said pushing away to put a little space between us. Every fiber of my being was aching to be as close to him as possible, but how often do you get to go to the fair with your thousand year old vampire boyfriend?

It turned out; even if Eric was bored on the rides he still enjoyed watching my child-like joy. He said his favorite ride was the haunted house.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure you were really scared! They could have a real ride if they hired you to sit in there."

"I doubt their insurance carrier would allow me to work this particular ride." His fangs coming down were a sign of what kind of terrors he would bestow on the guests. That thought even made me shiver.

Before I knew it, the fair was about to close and I couldn't decide if I was sad that our date was coming to an end or happy that we were going back to his house. We were walking towards the entrance with my bag of cotton candy, a candy apple for Amelia, and the stuffed penguin Eric had won me when a young girl stepped in front of us with a camera.

"A souvenir from your visit?" She asked with a little too much pep.

"We'll take two copies." Eric said before I could answer. He handed her the money and then wrapped his arms around me.

While I looked back at him smiling at the gesture, the girl snapped our picture. Oops I wasn't ready for that. I turned around and smiled at the camera with one hand on my penguin and the other on Eric's hands around my waist.

It took about five minutes for our pictures to fully turn out since she was using a Polaroid and we were back in the car when I flipped on the interior light to look at them. The first picture Eric claimed before I could decide which I wanted. His picture had me looking back and over my shoulder at him smiling while he looked in my eyes; funny how the most unexpected photos tend to be the best ones. My picture was really good too since it was the two of us looking like we were a normal couple on a date, having a great time. Maybe, at least for tonight that's what we were; just two people in love and enjoying their life together, not a worry in the world.

"Thank you for tonight, I had so much fun." I said as we drove to his house.

He lifted our intertwined fingers and kissed the back of my hand. "You are most welcome. I enjoyed myself as well; it makes me happy to see you happy dear one."

"Maybe next time we do this we should invite Pam. She would kick ass at the games."

"Yes, but she would probably pick a fight or get in trouble for trying to make the rides go faster."

"Well she is a mischievous vampire. I swear I think you two are kindred souls."

"You and I are kindred souls my dear; but Pam was born to be my child for sure."

"So was she like this as a human or did your sneaky ways just rub off on her over the years?"

"Pamela was a wild child even as a human; she would sneak out of her window after her father went to sleep to meet up with boys."

"You saw her do that?" I had to suppress my laughter when I imagined Pam in her big Victorian dress and petticoats, trying to sneak out her window and getting stuck.

"How do you think she came to be mine? She snuck out one night to meet me and it was the best and last night of her life." He said with a toothy grin as if he were recalling the memory of a pleasant Sunday dinner.

"She's going to love what you got for her."

"I think so too." What he got for her was a switchblade with the curvaceous figure of a woman down the handle. "So anything else interesting happen while I was away?"

"Oh yeah, I didn't want to tell you over the phone. Guess what?!" I almost squealed.

He just looked at me expectantly without guessing. _Party pooper!_

"Claudine is pregnant! With a full blooded Faery baby! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Oh yes, another sweet delicious little Faery in the world; that is good news."

"Oh gross quit it!" I said popping him on the arm. "Since she's kind of like a mom to me, this is going to be almost like having a baby sister or brother to me, I'm really excited!"

"Sookie you do know that the baby won't be able to come into this realm right?"

"What? Why not?"

"A pure blooded Faery in this day and age is a rarity Sookie. I don't think Niall will let that baby out of his sight and the safety of his guards in Faery. I'm sorry dear, but do not get your hopes up of spending time with the baby."

"Well if that's true, then I'll just go to Faery to see him or her." I guess Eric didn't like that answer because he swerved the car off the road and came to a stop.

"No you will not, I forbid it!" He growled.

Oh hell no he didn't! Nobody tells a Stackhouse woman what she can and can't do!

**TBC…**


	17. A Queen, A Telepath, and A King?

"Did you just say you _**forbid**_ me?! I think you better get to explaining…quick!" I snapped at my bullheaded vampire.

"Sookie do not push me on this. Trust my judgment."

"I don't think so! Don't you try making this about trust either Eric; you know I trust you but you can't just boss me around and not even give me an explanation."

"Sookie this is not an attempt to control you; this is me keeping you safe. Part of your family lives in Fae, but not all those who reside there would be so welcoming of your presence."

His abrupt reaction was starting to make more sense, but he wasn't getting off that easily.

"So you're saying that I can't go to Faery because I might have some enemies there? If my great Grandfather is the only living Prince, then why would anyone want to hurt me there?"

"Niall is in charge of the Fae realm but like any monarch, he has enemies. Enemies that would relish the opportunity to have such a valuable hostage. It is far too dangerous for you in their realm."

"Well that's just great! I've made enemies of vampires, weres, and all kinds of other shit and now I can't even go to a land where my people are supposed to be safe because even they will want to kill me…and they don't even know me!" I was now pouting now like a two year old just for good measure.

"Unfortunately my dear, that is how Supernaturals see life. They will do whatever they have to in order to get ahead or at least survive."

"Well how am I supposed to see Claudine's baby if Niall won't let the baby leave Faery and you say it's too dangerous for me to go there?"

"That I do not know. I'm sorry to disappoint you Sookie, but I am only trying to prepare you for the inevitable. It is possible that with the right safety precautions, Niall would allow Claudine to bring the child to see you. That is something you will have to ask of your Godmother and Grandfather."

"Don't worry I will be talking to Niall. I believe there's a little something you need to say to me Viking." I said looking at him expectantly while he just looked confused. "I'm waiting."

"I'm not sure what else there is for me to say."

"Don't you think you should apologize for being a barbarian?! All that 'I forbid you' crap!"

"Sookie I explained why I had such a reaction to your news. The dangers of Faery are not to be taken lightly."

"Ok I get that now but you just went all caveman without even trying to explain why I shouldn't go. That's not how things work in this century sweetie!"

"Perhaps I could have explained first."

"And…" I coaxed.

"And I…apologize that you couldn't be patient enough to hear me out." Well hell for a vampire that was as good of an apology as I was going to get so I decided to let it drop.

A few minutes later, we were at his house and any hostile feelings were definitely gone. In fact the only things I felt were quite the opposite of hostile. It had been more than five days for pete's sake! Eric was definitely of the same mindset as he was now stalking towards me with a predatory look on his face.

As he scooped me up with the intent of pushing his tongue down my throat, I gently pulled back and gave him a smoldering look.

"Give me five minutes." I took off for the bathroom and grabbed my phone to call my roomie.

"Hello?" She answered half asleep.

"Hey babe I'm sorry to call so late, but I need a quick favor."

"Sure what's up?"

"I'm at Eric's house and I was wondering if you could change me back into that outfit from earlier?"

"You mean the bondage?" She said cracking up.

"Yeah! Didn't you see the way Eric was looking at me?"

"Oh yeah I saw it alright! I'll do it for you, but I release all responsibility for anything that happens to you afterwards."

"Ha ha I get it, but don't worry about me; I can handle my man."

"Sure…sure you can. Anyways here we go."

I heard her speaking quietly in Latin for a minute before I felt the air around me get hazy; yep there was magic in the room. There was a little poof of smoke and then I was all bound up in my latex and leather again.

"Did it work?" She asked.

"Oh yeah! Thanks doll!"

"What are best friends for? You have fun and try not to damage _that thing _too much!"

"Eww Amelia! Don't worry I'll be fine, see you tomorrow."

"Ok well don't say I didn't warn you; bye!"

Instead of walking into the bedroom, I went out the back door and decided to test some of the new skills I had been working on with Claudine. I called out to Eric through our bond and within seconds he was outside standing in front of me; fangs down and a growing problem in his pants.

"Ser du något du vill ha Viking?" (_Do you see something you want Viking?) _I purred at him and smacked my whip against the ground. The surge of lust that hit me almost buckled my knees. Oh yeah; he wanted it alright.

"Väldigt mycket och jag tar vad jag vill" (_Very much and I will take what I want_) He was growling now and right before he could grab me I focused all my energy and popped about ¼ mile away down to his pond.

Yes it worked! I thought to myself. Last week I had practiced several times with Claudine and I finally managed to pop a few times. I couldn't do it every time I tried though, so I wasn't sure if it would work tonight. Well turns out that having a big, horny Viking was enough motivation to get it done.

"Sookie! How did you do that?" He asked as he had just hit the ground in front of me.

"Did I mention I've been practicing while you were gone?"

"You naughty little Faery. What an interesting power you have now."

"Eric come and play with me" I giggled.

He wrapped me in his arms and attacked my neck with hot kisses, while I tried to explain.

"Don't worry Viking, we're going to have lots of fun but first I want you to catch me. It will be fun I promise! No using the bond to track me either, I want you to….hunt me." I said before popping out of his arms.

"Oh you're going to get it when I catch you little Faery"

I was perched in a tree looking around trying to find him without using the bond or my telepathy. As much as this was a fun sex game, it was also good practice for me to learn to use my new abilities. Being able to sense other Supes without the telepathy was a skill that could save my life. Closing my eyes and concentrating on the sounds of nature around me, I sensed that Eric was moving closer. I popped back towards the house into the gazebo by the pool and heard Eric cursing from down the yard.

We played the cat and mouse game a few more times before I accidentally landed a little too close to Eric and he pounced on me before I even registered his presence.

In one swift move he had pinned me to the ground and was sinking his fangs into the top of one of my breasts; which were straining to break free of the leather bustier. Lucky for us, Eric owned the surrounding 80 acres of land so there were no nosey neighbors to witness our shenanigans.

"Oh God" I moaned.

As tough as latex is, Eric was now shredding it off me as if it were tissue paper. He slid his cool skin against my now bare, hot body and the sparks started flying.

"Did you think you could escape me Faery?" He growled as he raised his head from my breast.

"Why would I ever want to?" I whispered and then proceed to show him just how much I missed him.

The next few hours before dawn were spent getting re-acquainted with each other and Mother Nature. There were things I wanted to talk to him about, but in a fight of Eric's sexual prowess or talking; I'm sure you can guess which won out.

Between getting up early the morning before and then staying up with Eric all night, I slept until 3 in the afternoon that day. After getting up to shower and fix some food, I decided to just hang around Shreveport until Eric rose for the evening since I had stayed so late into the afternoon already. It was as good a time as any to catch up with everyone, so I started making the round of calls to check on everyone. First up I needed to be sure Alcide had taken care of the whole Jannalynn problem. I hadn't spoken to him since I ended the bitch and while Amelia and I were gone to Fangtasia that night, someone had come by and retrieved her body.

"Afternoon Sookie" He answered in the bristly voice that used to give me shivers.

"Afternoon Alcide, hope you're doing well."

"Sure, how about you? No other…incidents?"

"Nope, everything has actually been peaceful for a few days. I know that's hard to believe considering my track record."

"Yeah well I'm glad that things are calming down for you. Now if you would just stay away from those bloodsuckers, your life could be almost normal."

"Well considering I've had more threats and attacks from crazy Weres than vampires; I'll take my chances." I replied tartly.

"Um, right, well everything is taken care of and only me and Tray know what happened. Amanda is doing better too, no side effects from the small amount of V they gave her."

"Well that's good to hear. She wasn't my biggest fan, but she surely didn't deserve anything those lunatics did to her."

"No she didn't. I'm sorry that you got caught in the middle of all this Sookie."

"It's ok Alcide, I know that I'm part of this world just as much as you are and sometimes I'm gonna get dragged into shit that I don't want to be a part of. It just comes with the territory."

We talked about world peace and ending hunger; just regular chit chat for a few more minutes before hanging up. After calling Jason and hearing that he was just doing the same old thing (making the rounds at the bars and screwing everything with a vag) for the past few days, I decided I better get ready to go since Eric would want to head to Fangtasia tonight. I headed upstairs to the spare bedroom to pick an outfit from my closet. I kept pajamas, lingerie, and some basic clothes downstairs in Eric's bat lair but my nice outfits and things that needed to be hung were kept in the spare bedroom upstairs.

"Hmm what should I wear tonight?" I asked myself out loud. After browsing for a few minutes, I settled on a mandarin colored skin tight dress with gold bangle bracelets and gold stilettos. My hair was in beachy waves and I was happy with the look. Not as happy as Eric was though when he popped up behind me while I was checking out my look in the full length mirror.

"Geez you scared me!" I said stumbling off my sky high heels.

"Oops. I was so mesmerized by your ass in that dress that I forgot my manners." He wrapped his arms around me and placed soft kisses down my neck and shoulders.

"If you keep that up we won't make it to the bar tonight."

"That sounds perfect."

"Yes it does, but I know you have lots of work to do so let's get it over with."

"What a spoilsport you are this evening." He said laughing. "Alright, if we must. Let's go."

VVVVVVVVV

We walked through the employee entrance of the club and before we could close the door to Eric's office, Pam was walking in behind us.

"Good evening Master; Sookie. My my you are looking especially fuckable tonight; love the dress."

"Thanks Pam! You look hot too." I said grinning at her.

"Good evening Pam. How has everything been going?" He asked as he placed a kiss on her head. This was the side of both of them that only I got to see and I adored it. Some girls might be jealous of their boyfriend loving another woman as much as Eric loves Pam, but it truly is like a father/daughter relationship and it made me wish I would have known how such a thing felt.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but I'm going to go out in the lounge so you all can catch up. Eric if you need anything, just call me and I'll come back."

"Very well lover, I'll be out as soon as I finish a few things back here."

I was sitting at the bar talking to Felicia and sipping a bloodsucker (one of Pam's creations) when I felt a familiar void walking up behind me and turned to greet him.

"Hey Bill."

"Good evening Sookie." He said slipping onto the stool next to me.

"How was your trip?"

"It was pleasant. I spoke to the Native American tribe members; some of whom were ancients. They had a lot of information that I can use in the database, so it was beneficial as well. How have things been with you?"

"Oh everything's been great. Me and Amelia have been going to the children's hospital and keeping busy; oh and Claudine is pregnant! So yeah, things have been going pretty good."

"I am glad to hear that." He hesitated before continuing. "And you and Er…the Sheriff are doing well?"

"Uh yeah things are great. He's been really busy in New Orleans, but hopefully soon he'll be back in Shreveport. Are you coming to the ceremony Saturday?" I ask nervously, because who wants to talk to their ex about their current boyfriend? Especially when the current boyfriend is the ex's boss in the complicated vampire hierarchy.

"Yes I will be there. Attendance is mandatory." Well that was not so subtle.

"Ok great, well it was nice seeing you Bill. I've got to see if Eric needs me to do anything while I'm here, so I'll see you later."

"Goodnight Sookie." He said in that voice that was a mix between sad and maybe…constipated?

I grabbed a Royalty cocktail for Eric and headed back to his office. When I walked in, I could see that he was on the phone and didn't look particularly happy. I set the blood down on his desk and turned to leave but he motioned for me to sit down on the couch. I gathered he was talking to Sophie Ann, but I could only hear his side of the conversation.

"I understand your Majesty; I cannot imagine what you have been through…yes I do appreciate your confidence, however I do not share those aspirations…very well I will think about it and get back to you." He hung up and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in silence. I gave him time to think about whatever he had going on before questioning him.

"So what's going on? That was Sophie Ann?"

"Yes it was. It seems as though she is happy in Nevada and because of the recent tragedies in her life, she does not wish to return to Louisiana." I could hear the underlying anger in voice.

"Well if she doesn't come back then will we get a new King or Queen? That sucks; we might get some A-hole if she's gone."

"Unfortunately lover, she has already decided who she would like to appoint." I could feel the guilt, anger, and turmoil coming through the bond.

"You? She wants you to be the King?" He shook his head in acknowledgement. "Did you tell her you don't want to be the King?"

"She knows I do not want to take over, however the situation is more complicated than that."

"Ok well what's the problem? If you don't want to do it then say no thanks and let her appoint someone else."

"It's not that simple. If I do not assume the throne, she will be forced to appoint someone else. The new King or Queen may not be as accommodating to your agreement for telepathy services. You know you are much sought after in our world Sookie, and I can't risk another vampire coming in and deciding they want you at their court permanently; it is too dangerous for you."

How did I not think about that? I know there are plenty of vamps who would do whatever they have to do to get to me. Sophie Ann was a good boss but if she left Louisiana, the next King or Queen would most likely kill Eric to get to me or force us into working for them constantly.

"Damn it! Why does everything have to change? I know Sophie Ann is hurting right now, but if she leaves then we're all screwed. Either you have to take a job you don't want and put an even bigger target on your back; or we risk you being assassinated and me taken as a slave by some sadistic vampire. Great choices!"

"There is one other choice, but I doubt you will want to choose it." I waved my hand for him to continue. "The Queen has offered us a place in Nevada if I do not want the position of King of Louisiana. We would move to Nevada and you would continue your regular work contract with her. I would take the position as her second in command and you would still be free to live your life as you wish, besides your part time work for her."

"You want to move to Nevada?"

He came and sat down beside me, pulling me onto his lap and wrapping me up in his arms.

"Lover I will do whatever is best for you. If you want to stay in Louisiana, then I will become King and we will work out the details. If you want to move to Nevada, then I will be happy to do that as well. The choice is yours, but you do not need to decide right away. The only option I cannot allow is to have another monarch take over Louisiana and we continue to live here; it is much too dangerous for both of us and I will not put you in harm's way."

"The arrangement we had with Sophie Ann was going so well, I wish nothing had to change. I should have known that it was too good to be true."

"I'm sorry you are being put in this situation. Unfortunately life is constantly changing and nothing lasts forever. This is something you will need to get used to if you are to live through the centuries without going crazy. Just know that whatever you choose, I will be by your side always."

Looking into his arctic blue eyes, I knew deep down that he would be with me no matter what came our way. I'm sure we would experience things far more challenging than this, but as long as we faced things together like this, we would make it through whatever life handed us.

"Can we go home now? I think I've had enough excitement for one night."

"Of course, just let me tell Pam I'm leaving."

After just a minute, we were in his car heading towards our sanctuary. The home that I had begun to think of as ours instead of just his. The one place we could escape everything life threw at us and just be ourselves. We were going home.

* * *

_Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying the story! This chapter took a few days because I recently decided to shift a few things I had in mind for wrapping up the story. Please leave me some reviews about the story and let me know what you think._


	18. Primpin' Ain't Easy

Two days passed quickly and before I knew it, it was Saturday. Tonight was the ceremony to officially make Eric the regent of Louisiana. He had discussed postponing with Sophie Ann since we didn't know what his title would be changing to soon; but she said it was best to go ahead and make this official since she is out of state and whenever he made up his mind about the rest, we would handle it.

So that left me sitting up, staring at the alarm clock at 8 in the morning. It was much too early to be up in my opinion, but I had left Fangtasia last night at midnight and drove to the farmhouse and now I had to spend my day getting ready and making sure everything was ready for the evening.

The good part of this situation was that Pam said Amelia could come as her guest, so at least I had a partner in crime to spend the day with. There would even be several non-fanged members of the Supernatural community in attendance tonight; including Sam, Alcide and his father Jackson, Calvin, and many others. It makes sense being that Eric would be the one for them to see from now on if they had any disputes or questions concerning Louisiana vampires.

_Alright_ _Stackhouse up and at it_, I thought. I shuffled downstairs and started some coffee before grabbing some eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator. While the food was cooking Amelia came out of her room and joined me for coffee.

"Morning." She said.

"Good morning. I didn't know if you were getting up with me or not."

"I wasn't going to but then I smelled the food."

"I always did know how to get to your heart." I said giggling.

We were eating breakfast and discussing our plans for the day when there was a knock at the door. Amelia jumped up and answered it, finding the UPS guy smiling at her.

"Good morning ma'am. I've got a delivery here for Mrs. Stackhouse and Mrs. Broadway."

"Oh thanks, and that's Miss Broadway." She said emphasizing her single status. "You can call me Amelia."

"Oh… well alright Amelia. This package is for you and these two are for Mrs. Stackhouse. You ladies have a nice day." He said smiling back at Amelia and turning for his truck.

"Dang Amelia maybe you should have rubbed your ass against him, I think your techniques were a little subtle." I said sarcastically.

"Look woman, not all of us have an Adonis sex God boyfriend. Some of us are still searching for Mr. Right."

"Don't you mean Mr. or Mrs. Right." I say taking my package from her.

"Nah, girls are fun to play around with but I could only see myself settling down with a man. _If_ I ever decide to settle down that is." She said winking at me.

"Ok bachelorette; let's see what we've got." We both sat down on the couch and started unwrapping our big rectangular boxes.

I saw Amelia pulling a peach colored chiffon dress out of her box; obviously Pam had sent it to her for tonight. It was light and airy with sheer cutout on the sides and stopped above the knee in the front, with a longer back. I pulled mine out to find the opposite of Amelia's dress. It was a floor length; strapless, fitted red dress with a beaded neckline and it was absolutely gorgeous. I knew from looking at it that Eric had personally picked this one out. The cleavage that would be showing coupled with the flaming red color was a dead giveaway.

"Damn girl that is a hot dress!" Amelia squealed.

"I know it's beautiful! Yours is perfect too, it's gonna look great on you!"

"Thanks, now open up the smaller one because you know it's jewelry and I'm dying to see it!"

She was right it was jewelry; and Eric had really outdone himself this time. Opening up the light blue Tiffany's box, I found a platinum diamond necklace that looked like it belonged to a Queen and a matching bracelet. I think I stopped breathing for a minute before my roomie's squeals brought me back to reality.

"Holy shit look at that thing! Geez this must have cost a fortune!"

"Oh my God, I can't believe he got me this. I can't accept this; it probably cost more than this house."

"Well if you can't accept it, I'm sure I can find room in my jewelry box!"

I sat mesmerized for a few more minutes before pulling out the card Eric had attached to the box.

_Sookie,_

_I hope you like the dress. I know you will look stunning in whatever you wear, but I wanted to give you something very special for tonight. I would very much like to see you wearing the jewelry with the dress, but it is also just a gift. Do not fret over the price lover; I assure you it is no trouble. I have also made sure the store will not accept it as a return so you must keep it. I cannot wait to see you tonight, with and without the dress._

_-Eric_

I shook my head at my vampire's acutely accurate assessment of what I would think of the jewelry. Deciding that I might as well not argue over it, I would just thank him profusely and remind him that this one set would be plenty. How often would I have a chance to wear something so extravagant anyways?

Amelia and I spent the next few hours talking to the catering company and E(E)E; which is the supernatural events coordinator company that Eric hired. Apparently if you wanted any kind of ceremony or other event done in the Supe community, this was who you called.

After assuring us that everything was in order and would be delivered on time, we headed back to the house to shower, shave, and get pretty for the night. Since we would be leaving for Fangtasia in two hours to help set up, we had to get ready while we were still able to.

I'm not sure if it was excitement or nerves, but either way I had butterflies in my stomach while getting dressed. I was happy for my honey about his new position, but another part of me was nervous that this was the first of many changes to come. I thought back to what Eric told me a few nights ago about rolling with the punches when changes came our way, and I realized he was right. There were going to be several changes coming up in our lives and all I could do was stick by his side and support him, and make the best of our situation.

With a lighter heart, I continued getting ready and I have to admit; I felt like Cinderella getting ready for the ball. I mean I did have a Faery Godmother after all! As if sensing that I was thinking about her, Claudine popped into my room.

"Hello sweetheart" She said grabbing me in a big hug.

"Hey Claudine! How are you feeling? Everything going good?"

"Oh yes everything is wonderful" She said rubbing the small bump of her stomach. "I am well, the baby is doing great, and you look like the princess you truly are."

"Aww Claudine you've got a little belly now! It's so precious!" I couldn't help but to reach out and rub the little life now growing inside of her.

"Yes, Fae pregnancies are fairly quick compared to human pregnancies. I will be pregnant for what you would think of as about 3 months."

"That's it? Dang I know a lot of girls who would be jealous of you!"

"And what about you my dear? Do you long for a child? You know being bonded to a vampire doesn't leave that option open for you."

I looked at my feet, feeling the small knot in my throat. "No, I don't. I accepted a long time ago that I wouldn't be a mother; even before I met the vampires. I never wanted to pass on the telepathy and I didn't think I could ever manage having a child and knowing every thought they ever had. I mean I love children, but it just wasn't in the cards for me."

"It could be possible though. If you found a mate that was perhaps a shifter or Were; someone with which you wouldn't produce an all human child."

"That's true, but honestly I don't think I'm cut out to be a mother. It used to make me sad that I wouldn't have children, but I like the life I have with Eric. We have so much fun and adventures and he's the only one I would ever want to father my children, so I'm actually ok with it. I'll keep on volunteering at the children's hospital and I'll have your baby to love. Hell maybe Jason will even settle down one day and have some kids, then I'll get to be an aunt."

"If you are happy with your decision, then I'm happy for you. You won't just be an aunt though Sookie; I was hoping you would be the Godmother to my child."

A Godmother…someone actually wanted me to be responsible for their child if they couldn't. The tears were flowing before I even realized.

"Aw have I upset you?" She asked me.

"No no! You've made me so happy! You know, growing up I didn't have many friends; the other kids avoided me like the plague. They had heard all the stories that there was something 'off' about me and that I was either crazy or a witch; or both. I've never been a bridesmaid or done any of the things most other women my age have, and for you to ask me to be the Godmother of your precious baby…well it's just so special to me."

She hugged me for a long time, comforting me with our combined essences and her love.

"There's no one else I would rather have for my child if I can't be there for some reason. Especially now that I don't have to worry over your mortality, you were the obvious choice."

"Thank you Claudine. I would love to be his or her Godmother; after all I had a great example. I do have a question for you though; it's been bothering me for a few days now. Eric said that Niall would probably never let your child leave Faery and that it would be too dangerous for me to come there to visit you; is that true?"

"Well, it's complicated. It's true that Grandfather would not be happy with the idea of me taking the baby from Faery, but ultimately it's my choice. With the right protection, I will bring the baby to see you as often as I can. As for you visiting Faery, he's right; it's not safe for you."

"Well dang that sucks. I'm glad you'll be able to bring the baby here to visit though. Amelia and I were talking about her placing some serious protection spells around the house, so we'll get on that soon. Would that help?"

"Yes that would be great. I don't think there is too much to fear by bringing the child here, but as you can understand we must be careful. It isn't often that a pure blooded Faery is born and especially one from our royal bloodline. Sadly our line has been greatly diminished."

I shook my head because I could definitely understand wanting to protect your child above anything else.

"So when are you going to bring your baby daddy to meet me? I need to make sure he's a stand up kind of guy for you and my Godchild." I said snickering.

"You would like to meet him?"

"Very much so."

"Well I will bring my 'baby daddy' very soon then. Now, I've got to get going and you have a ball to attend. Have fun child, I will see you soon." After another hug, she popped back to wherever she came from.

I pulled out the jewelry and carefully clasped on both pieces. I had pulled my hair into a simple updo with two braids across the top of my head, after watching a video on youtube to figure it out. I slipped on my sparkly silver stilettos and grabbed my clutch and I was ready to go.

I had been so caught up with Claudine I hadn't realized there was a familiar red hazy brain downstairs. Mr. Cataliades had arrived to pick us up and he was sitting on the sofa with Amelia. When I reached the bottom step, she jumped up and ran towards me.

"Oh my God you look amazing!"

"Thanks, so do you!" I said taking in her look. The peach dress was perfect on her and the dainty gold jewelry and beige pumps looked just right.

"I am a lucky man." Said the demon. "I get to have the company of two of the most beautiful in the world with me tonight."

"Thanks Mr. C you're so kind." I said and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He might be a demon, but whenever I was around him I felt nothing but safe and oddly comforted.

"Are you ladies ready to go?"

"Heck yeah! A new dress and a limo to the party; I could definitely get used to this!" My roomie squealed before we walked out the door.

After we were seated, I noticed the bottle of champagne in an ice bucket with two flutes beside it. Seeing my gaze, Mr. C said "courtesy of Mr. Northman." Well now we were riding in style and had some of the best champagne I had ever tasted; maybe this really was going to be a great night.

* * *

**Ok guys the next chapter will be a bit more exciting with Eric's ceremony and we'll have several surprise guests! There's no telling who all might show up to this affair! ;)**


	19. Supe Party

When we arrived at Fangtasia, the events company was waiting for us in the parking lot. It looked like they had just arrived as well and were starting to unload their vans as I made my way over, fumbling for my spare key in my purse so I could unlock the club and let them in. A man who was at least as tall as Eric with a bald head and beautiful dark tan skin made his way over to me smiling.

"Hi I'm John Quinn; I'm one of the owners of EEE. Are you Miss Stackhouse?" He reached out to shake my hand. Being around vamps so long, I had almost forgot that other people shake hands when greeting.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Yes I'm Miss Stackhouse, but you can call me Sookie. I'll let you guys in so you can get started." I said as we walked towards the entrance.

"Well it's nice to meet you too Sookie and you can just call me Quinn." He had a beautiful smile and judging from his brain pattern, he was some type of large shifter; he didn't seem like a Were though.

Amelia started helping the crew bring in decorations and props while Quinn and I walked through the club. I pointed out where everything should be set up and asked him a few questions I had thought of on the way over. He listened intently and although he didn't take any notes, I knew everything would be set up perfectly. He just seemed like a take charge kind of guy.

"Queen Sophie Ann has asked me to present myself to Mr. Northman tonight. I'm going to be moving to Louisiana and working for him from now on." He said during a lapse in business talk.

"Oh really? Well Eric is the new Regent of Louisiana; as you probably know and this is his little shindig. If you don't mind me asking, what will you be doing for him?"

"Pretty much whatever he needs. I'm not sure if he will keep me on one specific job or if he will want me to just run errands when he needs it. I don't hear too many people call him Eric; are you two close?"

"You could say that; he's my boyfriend. He hates that term, but I feel weird going around telling people he's my bonded; it sounds so dramatic." I laughed.

"Oh wow, well I guess I'll have to rethink my plan to ask you out after tonight is over. That's a shame…for me."

I'm definitely not looking for anyone, but what girl wouldn't be flattered that a gorgeous man she just met wanted to ask her on a date? I felt my cheeks blush lightly and decided to ignore that last statement.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"Are you a shifter?"

That gave him a big grin. "Almost; I'm a Weretiger."

"Really? That's awesome! I've met lots of Supes and never once have I come across a tiger; are there many tigers?"

"Not really, our numbers have really decreased. The same as real tigers out in the wild."

"Well that's too bad; I bet you make a great tiger."

"You're not like most chicks that hang around vampires. How about you; what are you? You definitely smell a lot better than just human, but I can't place it."

"Oh I'm a Faery; well part Faery, part human and a telepath."

"Damn a Faery! Your race is almost as depleted as mine; I think I've only seen one other Faery in all my work with the Supe world. Older guy, really powerful, he was some kind of royal…a Prince maybe?"

"Sounds like my great grandfather; Niall Brigant."

"Yeah that was his name! Holy shit you're related to the Prince of the Fae? And you're bonded to a vampire? Now that is a new one, even for me!"

"That's me; just full of surprises." I said stealing Eric's trademark smirk.

Quinn went back to helping his crew get everything arranged while Amelia and I placed royal blue tablecloths on all the tables and gold chargers at all the seats reserved for guests who would be eating real food. At 7:00 I felt a familiar warm tingling inside when Eric rose for the night. It was a feeling I never got bored with; feeling him come alive (figuratively) at night always gave me a rush and tonight there was something else…I felt something more when he rose and I couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was just nerves on my part. I had spent the last few hours thinking about everything going on in our lives while I had worked diligently to make everything perfect for tonight. I knew I needed to speak to Eric and it couldn't wait any longer.

"Amelia I've got to make a call, I'll be in Eric's office if you need me."

"Ok, we got this."

I took off to Eric's office with my clutch in my hand. Once I was inside I grabbed my phone and called him; I knew his office was soundproof so our conversation would be completely confidential.

"My sweet little Faery, how is everything going?" He answered.

"Everything's great. The Supe company is here and we're almost done setting up. The caterers are here and starting the food, so all systems are go."

"Excellent. I hope they have not been running you ragged; they are being paid to work."

"No of course not. I helped out because I wanted to Eric. By the way, thank you so much for the dress and….the jewelry." I choked out the last part because I was still uncomfortable with the extravagance of it.

"You are most welcome lover. I can't wait to see you in all of it; and out of it." I could almost see his mischievous grin through the phone and my panties were back to their usual state of dampness from his sex filled voice.

"So anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something important. I've made a decision about the whole situation and I wanted to make sure you're really OK with whatever I choose. I mean this is your life too and you have the most responsibilities no matter what we choose.

"Lover I told you I will support whatever decision you make. As long as it keeps the two of us together and you safe; then I will work for Satan himself if I had to. What have you decided?"

"Do we have the right ceremonial stuff to make you King tonight?"

"You want to stay in Louisiana then?"

"Yes, if you want to. I like the life we've made here; the last several months have been great and I don't want to pick up and leave everything behind. I'm not saying I will want to stay here always, but for now it feels right. Are you ok with that?"

"Of course. I like the life we have made here as well. I will inform Sophie Ann of my intentions immediately and see how she wants to proceed. I will talk to you soon dear one."

"Ok see you later. I love you Eric."

"I love you Sookie Stackhouse. If it takes becoming a King to make sure our lives continue peacefully, then I will gladly wear the crown. I'll see you soon."

I hung up feeling relieved for the first time in days. I probed the bond and felt nothing but positive feelings coming from Eric so I figured he was telling the truth about wanting to replace Sophie Ann. I sent Amelia a text asking her to come back to the office to talk.

She walked in and shut the door behind her and I pulled two shot glasses and my private reserve of scotch from Eric's armoire.

"Breaking out the big guns huh? Are you really nervous about tonight?"

"Yes and no. I just talked to Eric and we made a decision; we're staying here and he's going to be King of Louisiana."

"Wow! I'm so glad you're staying!" She squealed and wrapped her arms around me. "I was so worried you might move to Nevada. This is so cool, if he's the King then that kind of makes you the Queen!"

"Not exactly."

"Close enough! Bottoms up!" We raised our glasses and I let the warm burn of the scotch wash away my fears. This was just a new chapter in life and I was going to make the best of it.

A little over an hour later, I was taste testing one of the hors d'oeuvres when I got the most peculiar feeling. I could feel Eric getting closer but I felt another connection; another thread in the bond was humming away. I told the caterer the scallops were great and practically ran to the employee entrance. Stepping outside, the feeling got stronger and I started running towards the pull of Eric. He zoomed up to greet me a few feet after I set off running and scooped me up in his arms.

I started looking him over to see what was wrong with him. There had to be something different about him because our bond felt so strange.

"Are you ok? What's going on; I feel so strange." He looked at me quizzically for a moment before I heard a voice come from behind him.

"I believe you are feeling me child. Your bond with Eric is getting confused from having my blood so close."

I rushed past Eric and into the arms of Godric.

"Godric what are you doing here? I didn't know you were in town!"

"I couldn't miss my son's big day. It is so nice to see you Sookie and I must say; you look stunning tonight."

"Thank you! I'm so glad you could make it."

"He's right; you are a Goddess on Earth. None can rival your beauty."

"Thank you Eric."

"Godric arrived after you went home last night and I wanted you to be surprised when you saw him." Eric said wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Come on inside and I'll get you a blood." I offered.

"Thank you dear; you are so kind. Eric is very lucky to have found you."

"I'm the lucky one." I said gazing up at the man who was doing his best to give me the world.

"I can only hope to know such joy someday. Just being near the two of you is almost overwhelming. You two are so closely bonded; it's amplifying all of our connections."

I put my other arm around Godric and sandwiched myself between the two vampires.

"You're a good man Godric; I know you'll find someone to share your life with, if that's what you want. You'll always have me, Eric, and Pam; we're family."

We went inside and the guys started making their rounds as many people had come in since I was gone. Mostly Weres, shifters, and other day walkers now, but soon all the Louisiana vamps would be here as well. I went to the bar and asked for a royalty blend and took it to Godric with Amelia in tow.

Stepping up to the booth usually reserved for Eric, I handed Godric the blood and introduced him to Amelia.

"Godric this is my dear friend and roommate, Amelia Broadway."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Broadway." He replied giving her a little head bow which she returned.

"Amelia this is Godric Antonius; Eric's maker."

She slid in the booth facing him with a huge grin. "So you raised the legendary Viking huh? That must have been a tough job!"

Godric laughed and started regaling her with stories of how wily Eric was as a new vampire. I listened for a few minutes; smiling like the Cheshire at his stories before excusing myself to greet more guests. Amelia seemed perfectly happy to continue her conversation so she stayed behind with Godric.

I walked over towards the stage where I noticed Sam and Calvin had come in. Normally I would give Sam a big hug, but being the bonded of the soon-to-be King; I didn't want other vampires to get the wrong idea. Instead I walked up and politely held out my hand to Sam and Calvin.

"Hey guys it's so good to see you."

"Hey Sook! Wow you look beautiful." Sam said as he admired me.

Before I could thank him, Calvin added "I might would come to a vampire club more often if there were women here looking like you."

"Thank you guys." I guess blushing was just par for the course tonight.

I told them to help themselves to some food and drinks and pointed them in the right direction. I picked up another familiar brain pattern that interrupted my little speech as my friend Tara walked up to stand beside Sam.

"Hey Sook! Oh my God look at those rocks!" She reached over and pulled me into a hug before stepping back to check out my necklace.

"Hey Tara, what are you doing here? I mean of course I'm happy to see you, I just wasn't expecting you."

She smiled at me but didn't say anything until Sam piped in. "Actually she's here as my date."

Now it all made sense. Amelia and I had suspected Sam was seeing someone, but neither of us wanted to come right out and ask about it. I could 'hear' from both of them that they thought it was getting serious enough to start telling people they were dating and they both seemed genuinely happy.

"Oh my gosh that's great! Thanks for telling me!" I joked.

"Well you know how it is in a small town; we just wanted to keep it quiet until we knew what _it_ was." My friend answered doing her own blushing.

I really hadn't seen that coming, but I was so happy for both of them. They both deserved happiness and I hoped they had found it in each other.

I made small talk with the three of them for a few more minutes before going to find Eric. He was in a corner talking to Quinn when I walked up. He looked over at me and drew me closer when I approached.

"Quinn this is my bonded; Sookie Stackhouse. She also works for me on occasion, so you will likely have interactions with her as well. I ask that you treat her with the same respect and consideration that you would myself."

"Of course Mr. Northman. I actually met Sookie earlier today, she was a big help in getting everything ready for the ceremony." He flashed me that thousand watt smile with all his sharp, pearly whites and I could picture him as the huge tiger he turned into.

"Yes Eric, I spoke to Quinn earlier and he and his team have done a great job putting all this together. He told me he would be working for you from now on?"

"Yes, her Majesty inherited his blood debt to Nevada but thought he would be more helpful in Louisiana. He is now a part of my retinue."

"Well great. Quinn I look forward to working with you."

"Come Sookie, there are many people who are anxious to meet with us."

We walked off and Eric explained to me quietly that he was working out the changes with Quinn for what would be happening tonight. Instead of a promotion, it would be a coronation ceremony. I still couldn't believe in a few hours, Eric would be the King of Louisiana. I wondered how much time we would have together once he had so many more duties. _It doesn't matter_, I thought. I'll always make time for him and I'm sure he'll do the same for me. _He's giving up part of his freedom to keep me safe._ The thought gave me a little chill as I stood on my tip toes to kiss him. He smiled lovingly at me and led me towards another group.

Right before we approached I realized that someone was in my mind. I stilled and Eric immediately stiffened at my side, looking for trouble.

"Hey Sookie!" Well I'll be a pig's nose, it was Barry from Dallas.

_Were you just in my head?_

_Yeah sorry. Damn look at those curves…_

_Barry!_

_Shit sorry! I'm not used to people hearing my thoughts._

"Hey Barry, what brings you to town?"

"I'm working for the King now. Stan brought me with just in case."

_You work for Stan Davis? I hope I didn't get you in any kind of trouble by outing your ability in Dallas._

_No way, I love this job! Believe me Stan pays a hell of a lot better than being a bellboy and so far he hasn't asked me to do anything too bad._

"Sheriff Northman; Miss Stackhouse, it's nice to see you."

"Thank you for coming your Majesty; it's an honor to host you in my city." Eric said bowing.

I did a curtsy like all good southern bells know how to do and greeted him. "Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to see you again. I see you have a new employee."

"Oh yeah, Barry here is great for a breather. I sure am glad you brought him to my attention; he's been…invaluable."

I tried not to overthink that statement, but by the shields Barry instantly threw up in his head; I figured maybe he had done some less than savory work for the King. Oh well, who was I to judge?

"From the whispers I've been hearing, maybe I should be bowing to you as well Northman." Stan said to Eric.

"Ah, well all will be revealed in good time. I will say that whatever changes are brought about tonight, I can assure you that Louisiana will remain a friend and ally of Texas."

"Good to know. I appreciate that."

As many faces as Eric had to wear, he sure did have one persona down pat: politician. His skills and maneuvering would give human politicians a run for their money.

"If you all will excuse me, I have to go check on some of the other guests." I said sweet as sugar before bowing again and scurrying off.

Walking through the now packed club, I waved to Alcide across the room. I didn't make my way over because frankly I just wasn't ready to have another spat with him.

"My mistress you are in fine form tonight." Pam said slinking up next to me.

"Hey! I was looking for you." I turned and kissed her cheek, earning me a little purr.

"Those diamonds dancing so close to those fantastic tits of yours is quite a sight. The dress isn't bad either."

"Ah thanks. So where have you been?"

"I have been making sure all the guests arrived with no trouble. Why I had to babysit a bunch of fucking vampires is beyond me, but I'm done now. So how about you and I sneak off into the stock room and you can show me why you were looking for me." Always the opportunist she was.

Embarrassingly she actually caused a slight twinge of lust in me before I immediately shut it down and continued talking. "Hmm maybe later. For now I was wondering if Eric had told you the news?"

"You mean King Northman?"

"So I'll take that as a yes. What do you think? Are you cool with all of this?"

"Well if Eric didn't take over, then there's no telling who we might get stuck with as the new monarch; and the thought of the two of you moving to Nevada gives me the bleeds. So yes, I am cool with this. I like being the Sheriff as well; I get to do all the bossing around like Eric used to do. I don't care for all the bullshit paperwork though."

"Oh, well good. I'm glad you're happy about this. I didn't want Eric to do something he didn't really want to do just because of me. I don't want anyone to be unhappy."

"Don't be dense Tinkerbelle; as long as you are safe and happy then he is happy. As for me, I am very excited to have my Master as King. He will do an excellent job and I will be what you humans call; the teacher's pet."

"You've got a point there; I'm sure he won't be a tyrant to his own child." I giggled. "If you need help with any of your paperwork, you know I'm more than willing to help you Pam; all you have to do is ask."

"You really are the best little Faery around. Perhaps I can convince you to be the office manager for Fangtasia. Now that Eric will be King and I am Sheriff; it would be beneficial to have someone oversee the bar."

"Why would you want me? I don't have a degree or anything; I'm sure you could find someone much more qualified. You don't have to ask me just because I'm Eric's girlf…bonded."

"Don't put yourself down Sookie. You are one of the most intelligent people I've met and even if you weren't Eric's _girlfriend_, I would still like to have you run the bar. I have no doubt you would excel at any task I gave you."

"Thanks Pam that means a lot to me. I promise I'll give it some thought and let you know."

"Very well; now let's go pick on Bill or try to get one of the animals to chase their tail." She snickered and pulled me back through the crowd.

The next hour went on the same with me talking to all kinds of people (vamps, Weres, who knows what) and being the good little trophy bonded. When Eric made his way back over to me, he pulled me straight back to his office and locked me in a kiss. His tongue was pure pleasure in my mouth; I couldn't help but whimper when he pulled away.

"Can't they all entertain themselves for a little while?" I asked shamelessly rubbing myself on him like a cat in heat.

His fangs ran down as he rubbed his hand up the slit in my dress. "You are such a temptress. I'm going to devour you when we leave. Unfortunately the night is still young and we haven't even made the big announcement yet."

Hmpf I pouted. "Well if we must wait, at least let me give you a little something to tide you over until later." I kissed him one more time before rubbing his fangs with my finger. His eyes were already closing in his lusty haze when I jabbed my finger on one of his fangs causing my finger to bleed. His eyes popped open immediately and I rubbed my finger over his tongue trailing little paths. His mouth closed on my finger, sucking and licking the little wound.

"Eric" I said breathlessly.

"Mmmm" He rumbled.

"I guess we have to get back out there." Maybe if I pulled the fire alarm everyone would leave.

The haze was lifting from his eyes as if he were willing it away. "Yes, but be assured I have not forgotten my promise to see that dress lying on my bedroom floor."

I gulped trying to push down the raging lust inside me. As if on cue, someone knocked at the door.

"Eric. Ίσως θα πρέπει να βγει για κάποια γιος του φρέσκου αέρα. Μπορείτε να αρχίσετε ένα όργιο, αν ο καθένας ακούει εσείς fucking σας σύντροφος." (_Perhaps you should come out for some fresh air son. You may start an orgy if everyone hears you fucking your mate_.) I could tell it was Godric, but as to what he said; I didn't have a clue.

"Αλλά αυτή είναι μια σέξι λίγο ξελογιάστρα. Ίδια τις δοκιμές μου αξίζει χιλιετίες της αυτοέλεγχος." (But she is such a sexy little seductress. She tests a millennia worth of self-control.)

He leaned down and kissed my forehead one more time before sending calm through the bond. He was trying to extinguish my fire in other words.

I realized that Godric had probably come to check on us because he could feel the overwhelming lust we were projecting through the bond. "Thanks." I sighed.

"The Queen is about to come out. She will speak to everyone for a few minutes before making the announcement. I will step out and speak for a moment and I would like for you to stand beside Pam on the stage. I know you don't like to be the center of attention, but you at least deserve a place of respect beside my child."

"Ok, let's do this. Break a leg your Majesty."

He shot me a fanged grin before leading us back out in the club, stopping beside the stage. As he bowed, I noticed that Sophie Ann was in front of him. I stepped up beside him and did my best curtsy for about the tenth time that night. Eric didn't formally acknowledge her so I guess he had already spoken to her this evening.

"Good evening your Majesty. You look beautiful as always." I said to her.

"Thank you Sookie. It is always a pleasure to see you. I hope after your mate becomes King that I will still have the pleasure of seeing you on occasion."

"Of course. I can't wait to come visit you in Vegas and if you ever need my services, I'm only a phone call away."

"Is it your wish to have Sookie remain under contract your Majesty?" Eric asked.

"I would ask that you allow it Northman. Of course with the distance between us being greater, I will only ask her to come when I feel it absolutely necessary. If you allow her to remain on retainer, I will continue her normal pay and of course any travel expenses associated with business."

Some might think it rude to talk to my boyfriend about my work contract, but that's just the way vamps work and I was used to it by now. I knew Eric would never agree to anything that I didn't personally want to do.

Looking at me he asked, "Is this acceptable to you dear one?"

"Yes, I would like to continue to work for you when you need me Sophie Ann. You've been a great employer."

"Very well, so we are all in agreement then?" She asked.

Eric just nodded his head at her.

I got the point that now that Eric was to be King, she couldn't give him orders and if he said no telepath then she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it. Of course he and I had no reason to deny her because she had been a good employer.

Just then Sigebert walked up and handed her a thick manila envelope which she then handed to Eric.

"A gift for you and your bonded; for your outstanding work in Nevada."

"Thank you." We replied in unison as Eric stuffed the envelope in his jacket for later.

The Queen walked up on the stage and the music was cut off. Every Supe in the room bowed respectfully while she surveyed the crowd.

"She really knows how to make an entrance." Amelia said coming up behind me.

"You can say that again. I've got to go up on stage in a minute; do I look ok?"

"Like a Queen." She replied happily.

I took out my little compact and handed it to Amelia to hold while I reapplied my lipstick and gave myself a once over. The Queen was speaking to the crowd now.

"As many of you know, I have recently inherited the state of Nevada. While this was an unexpected venture, it has turned out to be a very pleasant one. It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I am abdicating my throne." The only gasps were from the non-vampires in the room. I'm sure the vampires were just as shocked but their faces didn't give it away. "I would like to thank everyone who has been loyal and faithful to me under my reign as Queen of Louisiana and tell you that you will always be welcome in the great state of Nevada. These are precarious times for our kind and the need to have a strong and fair leader is more important now than ever. With that in mind, I have chosen my successor due to his strength, determination, intelligence, and rationality. Former Sheriff of Area 5; Eric Northman has been filling the role of temporary monarch while I have been in Nevada. Now he will fill the role permanently. I trust that Mr. Northman will make a fine King and will continue to help the state of Louisiana regain it's former glory." She looked over at us and nodded her head. "Mr. Northman if you will please join me."

Eric grasped my hand and walked up the stage. I tried to look calm and regal while walking but inside I was a ball of nerves. I could feel Eric pushing love and calm through the bond and….pride. It wasn't coming from Eric though; I was feeling Godric's pride in his child. The sensation put a smile on my face and I let my nervousness fade. This may not be the path Eric had planned for himself, but I had no doubt he would make an excellent King. Before I released his hand, I sent my own burst of love and pride to him and I could tell by the slight squeeze on my hand that he felt it.

I stopped a few feet before Eric standing between Pam and Godric; with Pam being closest to Eric. He stepped up to the center of the stage beside Sophie Ann. Another vampire whom I didn't recognize had moved to the other side of her. He was average height with thin brown hair and a muscular back and shoulders. He was wearing a beautiful navy colored suit and I noticed he was a little older than most vampires I had seen; probably in his early 40's when he was turned. In his hand, he held an ancient looking book that reminded me of a worn Bible; somehow I doubted that's what it was though.

The man stepped forward and Sophie Ann placed her right hand on the book and looked at the man.

"As my last act as Queen of Louisiana; I Sophie Ann LeClerq do hereby appoint Eric Northman to the throne of King. I relinquish all claims from this day forward to the Kingdom of Louisiana. From this day forward; all rights, responsibilities, financial and political associations with the state of Louisiana will be solely upon the new King Eric Northman."

"I; Roman Zimojic of the one true vampire authority, accept your abdication. You are cleared of all rights to the state of Louisiana."

The man gave a quick nod of his head and stepped in front of Eric, placing the book in front of him. Eric layed his hand down the same way and looked to the vampire.

"Do you; Eric Northman accept all rights, responsibilities, financial and political associations for the state of Louisiana as your own?" Eric shook his head. "Do you vow to protect your Kingdom and all those who are loyal to you in your Kingdom with your life?" Another nod. "Who do you wish to appoint as the second in command to the Kingdom of Louisiana?"

"My child, Pamela Ravenscroft."

If you didn't know Pam as well as I do, you probably would have missed the shock that passed across her face. It was barely visible but I knew it well. Eric had not told her she would be his second-in-command now that he was King. She looked absolutely reverent as she stepped forward beside Eric and placed her hand beside his on the book.

"Pamela Ravenscroft, you have been named as second in command for the Kingdom of Louisiana. Do you vow to protect your King and defend his Kingdom with your life and to take over should the King be incapacitated or meet the true death?"

"I will." She took her hand off the book and kneeled before Eric. Not the little bow she usually gave him, but actually down on one knee with her head down. I didn't know if she was showing her subservience to him or if this was always part of the ritual.

Roman reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a beautiful knife. It had a pure gold handle and the straight blade was probably six inches long. There were markings on the handle, but I couldn't make them out. He handed the knife to Eric and I began to feel a little nervous not knowing what was happening.

Pam stayed in her kneeling position but looked up to meet Eric's eyes and tilted her head to the side. This was a little more familiar; it was similar to what I had seen wolves do when being presented to the new packmaster. They bare their neck as they pledge their fealty to the new leader.

"Master; I will serve you in any capacity you see fit and protect your Kingdom as my own. I will stand with you against any foe and protect you with my own life. I swear my fealty to you as well as the Kingdom of Louisiana. If you should meet the true death, I will protect our people with my life; this I swear to you."

"I accept your pledge and honor you as my second." He said. Moving the knife quicker than I could see; he had cut his wrist and Pam's neck and was applying his wrist to her wound. "Blood of my blood." He said before pulling away. Both their wounds were already healing.

I could feel my throat burning trying to hold back the tears prickling my eyes. I was so proud of them both and the love between them was evident to anyone watching. Of course I had the added benefit of feeling the overwhelming love and devotion Eric was feeling towards her. It was a beautiful moment and I was honored to be witnessing it.

Pam rose from the floor and stood tall beside Eric. Roman had set down the book and was now holding a scroll and a fountain pen. He handed the pen to Eric, who naturally stabbed it into his wrist. Isn't that what everyone does with pens? He signed the scroll in his blood before handing it to Pam as she followed his actions.

He tucked the scroll away and faced the crowd.

"I, Roman Zimojic of the one true Vampire Authority do hereby acknowledge the claim of Louisiana to the newly appointed King; Eric Northman. All bow before the King."

Everyone in the room; myself included bowed to one knee in front of Eric. After a few seconds he spoke.

"Thank you." I saw everyone around me rising so I did as well; with the help of Godric since it was pretty difficult in a floor length fitted dress.

To my surprise, Eric took my hand and pulled me to his side. He put his arm around my waist and held me tightly against him.

"All who owe me fealty will also swear their loyalty and service to my bonded mate; Sookie Stackhouse. You will treat her with the same deference you treat your King and protect her with your life. Any threat or attack on her is tantamount to an attack on me and will be treated as such." Holy shit he was full of surprises tonight. My eyes were probably bugging out of my head right now. "Any who find this condition unacceptable will find another Kingdom to call home." He let that sink in for a few seconds before finishing his speech. "Please enjoy the rest of your evening."

And just like that, the music was back on and people were returning to the celebration. I looked at Eric with a dumbfounded look on my face and he just looked at me innocently. In that moment I saw the other Eric; the one who clutched to my side when his memories were taken from him. He remembered what he said to me that cold January night. He promised me that he would bring me to his side and all those that owed him fealty would bow before me as well. It was the only part of his time with me that I didn't talk about with him. I never knew what he would say if he knew he had promised me such things; been so vulnerable in that moment. When he came back to me and said he remembered everything, I took his word for it and didn't bring it up. He knew all along though.

"You made good on your promise." I whispered. I couldn't stop the tears that flowed from my eyes.

"Of course. Did you ever doubt me?" He gave me that smirk that soothed my tears and made me smile.

"No." I said and wrapped my arms around him. I didn't stay that way for too long because he was a King now, he had to uphold his bad ass exterior.

Pam stepped up beside us and looked at Eric. "Master may I speak with you in private?"

"I was just about to go get something to eat, so I'll give you guys some time ok." I walked off the stage and found Amelia waiting for me.

"Oh my God that was romantic!" She gushed.

"Yes and embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?! Why in the world would you be embarrassed?"

"As if some of these vamps didn't already have it out for me and now that they have to swear their fealty to me as well; I don't think they're going to be too happy about that."

"So fuck them! Your man is the King now!"

"Come on, I need a drink." I said and dragged her to the bar.

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**TBC….. Hope you guys liked all the guest appearances! This one turned out to be so long I had to split it up so I will have the rest of the ceremony posted very quickly. Enjoy!**


	20. Fealty And Fangs

"_Oh my God that was romantic!" She gushed._

"_Yes and embarrassing."_

"_Embarrassing?! Why in the world would you be embarrassed?"_

"_As if some of these vamps didn't already have it out for me and now that they have to swear their fealty to me as well; I don't think they're going to be too happy about that."_

"_So fuck them! Your man is the King now!"_

"_Come on, I need a drink." I said and dragged her to the bar._

Walking up to the bar didn't exactly ease my fears about my new station in the vampire world as the two half demon bartenders from EEE looked at me and gave me a deep bow before asking what I wanted to drink. I was nervous but Amelia was positively glowing at their treatment of me.

"I'll just have a glass of champagne please." I answered.

"Dirty martini please." Amelia said.

I turned to face her and tried to ignore the looks I was getting from practically everyone around me.

"So are you having a good time?" I asked her.

"Yeah, vamps really know how to throw a party! I've met so many people too; some of Alcide's pack is here and did you see Sam and Tara?"

"Yeah I talked to them earlier. You were right that he's been dating someone, but I had no idea it was Tara. I guess I've been too wrapped up in everything else that I didn't notice two of my closest friends were falling for each other."

"Well it's not like they were exactly advertising it. I've been working at Merlotte's tons in the past few months and I've hung out with Tara several times and I still didn't know who it was he was dating."

"I think he seems really happy, don't you?"

"Are you kidding me? He's practically on cloud nine at work! He doesn't even let Jane Bodehouse bother him anymore. Tara must be taking real good care of him." She winked suggestively.

"I hope so. They're both good people and they deserve to be happy, I'm glad they found each other." She shook her head in agreement. We were both hoping for a good outcome to their little union.

"Amelia I never got to tell you how beautiful you look tonight." Eric said walking up beside us.

"Thanks Eric…I mean King Northman." She said bowing her head.

Eric gave her a little grin for following protocol, though when we were alone he would never expect her to treat him any differently.

"Lover I'm afraid I need to steal you away. It is time to accept our pledges and well wishes." He didn't exactly sound thrilled at the idea, but I'm pretty sure I was dreading it more.

I gulped the rest of the champagne and gave Amelia a 'here goes nothing' look before letting Eric lead me to the stage. I noticed in the few minutes since the speeches, the stage had been cleared and only the three dais' set front and center now. Eric's large plush throne was in the middle with a slightly smaller one on each side of him. I occasionally sat on the smaller one to the left, so I assumed the other on his right side was for Pam. He led me to my chair and made sure I was seated before taking his seat beside me.

Pam walked up on the stage in front of us and the DJ abruptly stopped the music again.

"King Northman is now ready to receive the honorary pledge. All Louisiana vampires please present yourselves at some point during the rest of the evening."

Pam turned to walk towards Eric and I while the music came back to life. Before taking her seat, Pam gave Eric a small bow of her head and then came to stand in front of me. I smiled up at her, sure she had some nasty joke or smart comment to tell me when instead she dropped to one knee in front of me and bowed her head.

"I, Pamela Ravenscroft; second in command to King Northman do hereby pledge my everlasting fealty and loyalty to you Sookie Stackhouse. I will protect your life with my own and no foe shall touch you before I meet the true death, this I swear."

There were no words to describe what I felt in that moment. My best friend, my vampire buddy, the other string in my bond with Eric; was here pledging to die the true death before she ever let anyone hurt me. I knew she meant it and I couldn't even answer her without falling to pieces in front of everyone. I felt Eric's love for me swell in my heart and his pride in his child. I felt something that was so alien to me; I felt like I truly had a family. I loved my brother Jason, but the life force that tied Godric, Eric, Pam, and myself was something other worldly. The strength and devotion through our shared connections were humming inside me. I knew that if I were to walk this world for however long I was given, I would need all of them to make it a life worth living.

Since I couldn't find the words to describe my gratitude to her, I took her hand and gently pulsed my light into her. Claudine once told me that Faeries are one with their light power; it was literally our life force as blood was to vampires. I was using the best way I knew how to communicate emotions too deep to find words for. With one hand in hers and the other in Eric's, we shared a brief moment of nirvana as we all connected through the blood bond and my light. Pam looked me in the eyes with a knowing smile and then stood to take her seat on her own throne.

I sat quietly for a minute trying to compose myself and choke back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Eric was pushing love and calm through the blood and slowly I focused back on the task at hand. The first line of vampires were now lined up and waiting to approach. Eric looked at me to make sure I was good, and after giving him a little nod; he motioned for them to approach.

The first few vamps were ones I already knew from Fangtasia. They would of course bow to Eric first and swear their fealty to him and Louisiana before turning my direction and promising to guard me with their undead lives. Unfortunately Gran never covered the 'what to do when vampires swear their lives to you' in part of my upbringing, so I smiled graciously to each one and bowed my head saying thank you. Eric hadn't instructed me what to do either way, so I figured good manners was my best bet. After speaking to Eric and me, they would step in front of Pam and say almost the same thing they had to Eric.

I was surprised that most of the vamps seemed accepting or at least indifferent to bowing before me which made me fractionally more comfortable. Clancy of course gave me the creeps when he came up, which delighted him to no end. When Felicia approached and made her vow, she looked to Eric and whispered, "I thank you for the mercy you showed me King Northman. I will never give you a reason to doubt my loyalty to you or your mate." Eric gave her a nod of approval before moving on to the next in line.

My hand inadvertently twitched as Bill came and kneeled before us. Well fuck a duck this night just keeps getting better. Maybe tomorrow Pam and I could write to Dear Abby and ask for her advice on how to deal with your ex-boyfriend who now swore fealty to you and your current boyfriend in the vampire political world. After swearing to Eric in a less than enthusiastic tone, he turned towards me.

"Sookie, I swear my respect and fealty to you. I will guard you with my life and treat you as the Queen you are. I will gladly give up my life to protect you, this I swear."

Well that was a little more over the top than what the other vamps said, but I thanked him graciously and hoped Eric wouldn't tear off one of his limbs for the extra attention he was giving me. So that's how things went for the next two hours; vampires taking an oath to their new King and the leaders of different Supe races coming up and offering congratulations and talks of peace between the communities.

Eric gave a look at the DJ and the music came to a stop once again. Just before Eric could get up out of his seat to speak to the crowd, I stood and kneeled in front of him. He had done his absolute best to provide me with all the love, protection, and care I could ever ask for and the least I could do was show my gratitude to him. I didn't care that every eye in the room was watching; I was glad for them all to see it.

I took his hand and bowed my head. "My King, I pledge my fealty and everlasting devotion to you and your Kingdom. I will honor you and protect you and yours with everything that I am. As long as there is a breath left in me, no enemy will breach your back because I will be standing guard against it. If you should meet the true death in defense of your Kingdom, I will fight with the courage and honor you have taught me before joining you in death; this I swear to you." His big glacier blue eyes were staring holes through me. If I couldn't feel his overwhelming pride and honor through our bond, I might have been scared at how intensely he was looking at me.

Now before anyone rips me about being subservient to my man, let me clarify a few things. First, what I just did was about honor and devotion, not inferiority. Second, Eric and Pam had openly pledged their lives as well as everyone they were responsible for to me; so really it was the least I could do. Third, in the vampire world it was natural that humans were below vampires, so the fact that Eric had even given me a place of honor at his side was unusual. The least I could do to help smooth things over with his entire Kingdom bowing before me, was to do as they had and bow before the King; my King.

The room was silent for a few seconds and I hoped I hadn't done something wrong. I knew Eric was beaming on the inside, but I didn't know what everyone else would think of what I had just done.

"Here here! All hail to the King and his mate!" Godric's voice boomed throughout the room. Everyone bowed as Eric, Pam, and I stood. Suddenly Amelia rose and started clapping which surprisingly turned into the whole club after a few seconds. I gave her and Godric my biggest smile and we left the stage.

Eric turned to Pam and told her we were leaving and to make sure everyone enjoyed the rest of their night. After about ten more little stops to say goodbye to the VIPS in the room, Eric and I finally made it out to car. He had really brought out the big guns tonight; arriving in his new black Lamborghini Aventador. Good grief this car made me almost as wet as he did. We flew through the night, tightly gripping the curves at the speed of light and we were at his house in no time. He grabbed me up bridal style when I stepped out of the car and sped through the house to the back of his walk in closet where he scanned his retina and entered the code to open up the hidden door to the underground house.

I barely had time to register our movements before I was back on my feet in the underground bedroom. The lust and animal instincts that were pulsing off him were vibrating through me. Any sane person would be terrified of the creature standing in front of me, but I was so turned on I couldn't see straight. He was drunk on power and Faery love and I was enjoying every minute of it. He didn't plan on being King but he was enjoying the new power and I didn't blame him one bit. He should at least get some enjoyment out of his new career after everything he's sacrificed for me.

He unzipped my dress and let it fall to the floor as I stepped out of it.

"Do you know what you do to me woman?" He growled. I shook my head no innocently at him. "You make me lose self-control that I have fought millennia to obtain. All rational thinking goes out the window when it comes to you. You, my delicious little Faery have bewitched me and made me question my very sanity." His arms were around me pulling me flush to his hard body, his hands tangling in my hair while he kissed and licked my neck; whispering his confessions.

"Oh Eric…" I moaned. His hands now moving faster across the planes of my body were making any cohesive thoughts melt away.

"Then you kneel before me and announce to everyone your claim to me and mine; your little warrior spirit, your bravery, your loyalty. You honor me my Queen. There is no other to compare to you…not for me….not ever." We had found our way to the bed and Eric was doing his best to taste every inch of the Sookie special. The way he reverently licked my skin while making that beautiful purr in his chest made me feel like I was the most delicious feast in the world; a feast that he would savor again and again.

"Du gillar när jag knä innan du min kung? Jag kommer att göra det varje dag för resten av våra liv om det behagar dig." (_You like it when I kneel before you my King? I will do it every day for the rest of our lives if it pleases you) _His only response was a deep, guttural growl that put my insides in knots. I pushed him over and slid myself on top of him, straddling his lap. Making my way down his chest and abs, I kissed every bit of skin I could see.

" Låt mig visa dig hur mycket jag gillar knästående framför er." _(Let me show you how much I like kneeling before you.)_ I slid down further and focused my eyes on his while I slid his throbbing length into my mouth. I licked and sucked at him like I was in the Sahara and his dick was the last drop of water on earth.

"Oh fuck Sookie" He roared, bucking his hips to meet the back of my throat. I never stopped what I was doing to say anything back to him; my only reply was the 'mmmmm' noises I was vibrating around him.

We were quickly becoming insane with need for each other and I could feel his orgasm approaching. The little ripples on my tongue were only driving my desire for him even further. Right before he exploded, I took him out of my mouth and pushed his dick in between my breast rubbing them against him.

"Oh fuck…yes…Sookie….ahhh" He screamed as he watched his seed spill out onto my breasts while I rubbed it over my nipples and moaned loudly.

"Eric….Eric…." I didn't even realize he had pulled away from my chest before I was bent down over the edge of the bed and he plunged in deep from behind. "Yes!" I screamed and gripped the comforter for support. He was surely going to fuck me into oblivion and I was begging him for more.

"Sexy little Faery….mine…..always…so perfect…my lover…." He was speaking incoherently as he pounded me from behind. One hand was ruthlessly pulling my hips back to meet each thrust while the other was rubbing circles on my clit.

"Oh God….I'm yours….I'm always yours…I need you so bad" I was doing a little bit of my own praising while delirious with pleasure. "Oh fuck! I'm coming…oh it feels so good"

Slamming into me even faster he had reverted to our other language.

"Kom för mig min drottning. Blötlägg mig inuti dig." (Come for me my Queen. Soak me inside you.)

He didn't have to ask twice, I was already screaming with the aftershocks of my orgasm when he roared and followed suit. We collapsed on the bed side by side. I was panting and sweating like a marathon runner and he was cool as ever, lying down in a daze. I tucked myself into the familiar shape of his body; the curves that were made to fit me perfectly and pulled his arms around me like my own vampire security blanket.

After a few minutes of post orgasmic bliss, he finally spoke.

"What you said earlier….about me falling in battle, did you mean that?"

I turned around and faced him, keeping our bodies completely intermingled.

"Of course I did. I meant every word I said to you up there."

"You are remarkable Sookie Stackhouse. I treasure you and I would not want you to die if I should meet the true death. I would want you to go on living, you're a Faery and you could live for almost eternity. I wouldn't want you to throw that away."

"Eric if you meet the true death, so will my soul. There will be nothing left of me to go on because it will die with you. Every drop of blood in me calls to your blood; every time my heart beats, it beats for both of us. If you were to fall, I would follow you into death so we could be together forever."

He stared at me with those piercing eyes and rubbed his thumb across my cheek. We didn't need words to tell us what we were both thinking. He knew it to be true just as I could feel it down to my bones; if one of us died, the other would follow in the hopes of reuniting in the next life. It wasn't a suicide pact or some morbid fascination, it was the truth. We were bound too tightly, if one side of the bond was destroyed, the other would follow suit. It didn't make me sad to think about it either, I knew without the other half of my soul there would be no more Sookie to go on. It was something we had both accepted; we needed each other in a way that defied logic or reason. We were fate, destiny, karma, maybe a combination of all of them. Whatever we were, it would only work if we were together.

"Well I guess it's good that no one is bad ass enough to take me out then." He smirked and broke the tension.

We took a shower and climbed back into bed, snuggling as close as possible. It was only minutes before dawn and the pull of the sun was weighing on Eric. I lay there in his strong arms, waiting for him to fall asleep before I would give in to the exhaustion I was feeling.

"Goodnight my King. I love you." I whispered.

"Goodnight my Queen. I love you too."


	21. Author Note

Just wanted to take a minute and say thank you to everyone who is reading this story. Thanks for the follows and favorites, it means so much to me! I don't have many reviews compared to how many chapters I have, but I've tried not to let it discourage me. A big thank you to Lundyred, Perfecta999, and Murgatroid-98 for always leaving me feedback and encouraging words, it really does help! The last two or three chapters have not gotten the kind of views that I'm hoping for and I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what the problem is. I know I don't write lemony sex scenes every chapter like a lot of writers do, but honestly I like for my stories to have a plot to go along with Eric/Sookie nookie. I don't know if that's part of the problem with me not getting as many hits as I would hope for or if my stories just aren't that interesting? If you readers want to leave me some feedback about the way the storyline is going, ask me questions, make suggestions, whatever it is; I would greatly appreciate it. I love writing these stories and I want everyone to enjoy them, especially with the garbage that Charlaine Harris left us with in the last book. Rewriting the stories my way is soothing my broken SVM soul. This story has about five chapters left and I'm well on my way into the next installation of this series which I am SO EXCITED about. It will be funny, fun, and lighthearted and I'm so excited to write it! I'm already bursting at the seams with all the things I have planned for the next book, so I hope you guys will stick with me and enjoy reading my stories as much as I love writing them.

Sincerely,

HouseNorthman


	22. Fit For A Queen

**A/N: You guys are awesome! Thanks to everyone who responded to my little author note page, I needed a little boost of self-confidence and you guys did it! I wasn't fishing for compliments, I had just gotten a little discouraged and everyone who responded was so kind. I'm out of my little funk now and back on to the story! Enjoy!**

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The next morning I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I rolled over closer to Eric and pretended not to hear it the first two times; unfortunately my caller wouldn't be dissuaded so easily. Muttering a few un-ladylike words I finally rolled over and grabbed the source of my torment. The screen read 'Gran' calling. I felt a stab of grief run through me at the sight before I realized Amelia was calling from the house phone. I had never gotten around to changing the setting to just 'home' after Gran died. Whether it was intentional or not, I hadn't thought about it since usually Amelia called me on her cell.

"You had better be on fire" I answered with a loud yawn.

"Hey I'm no happier than you to be up this early either but there's a guy here named Peter; says he's Sophie Ann's day man and he has a package and letter for you that can't wait."

"Did he give it to you?"

"He's still standing here. Wanted to make sure I got in touch with you before he left."

"Ok tell him to leave it with you and I'll be there as soon as possible." I heard Peter argue with Amelia for a minute before giving up and leaving his delivery with her.

"Alright he's gone. You coming home?"

"Not this early, I was just trying to get rid of him. Can you teleport it to me?" Yep just regular old roommates we were.

"Sure, let me go make a cup of coffee first."

Sometimes it's really nice to have a best friend/roommate who's an extremely powerful witch; especially when her telepathic/Faery best friend is the one who made her so powerful. I hung up and flopped back down beside my Nordic angel 'sleeping' beside me.

"Must be nice to have the excuse of being dead all day to avoid getting up early" I said to him. I pushed his hair out of his face and took a moment to admire (shamelessly stare) at his ruggedly handsome features. He was so pale and muscular; beautiful and lethal; a conundrum wrapped in a delicious Nordic package. When he slept he really looked like the young man he was when he was turned. Over one thousand years of life hadn't taken their toll on his face or ridiculously sexy body. I wondered if I lived to be his age if I would be looking in the mirror at the same reflection I see now.

I gave him a kiss and pulled off his t-shirt I was sleeping in. I smiled as I rubbed it over my hair, around my neck, up and down my breasts and stomach before laying it on my pillow and pushing the pillow up beside of him. Since some of us _could_ be summoned during the day, I had to get up and get my day going and I wanted to leave my scent behind for him while he slept. He probably wouldn't smell it during his daytime sleep, but he had often told me my honey and sunlight scent could penetrate death itself.

I threw on some shorts and a tank top and walked upstairs to see what the Queen had sent over. Because of the magical wards guarding it, Amelia wouldn't have been able to pop it into the underground lair. I walked to the kitchen and set the coffeemaker up before going to look for my packages. The large rectangular box was sitting in the living room with an envelope on top. Even if I didn't already know who it was from, I would have immediately guessed Sophie Ann from the beautiful purple and silver stationary. Apparently the few weeks she had been Queen of Nevada were enough time for her to have new royal stationary printed in Nevada's colors. At least she had her priorities straight.

I opened the letter first and read:

_Sookie,_

_We can't have a new King without a royal ball, so I took the liberty of putting everything together last night. King Northman's coronation ball will be held tonight at 9:00 at the Bossier Country Club. It only made sense to have it so soon when so many visitors were already in town and more will be arriving this evening. I have included a gift for you that I hope you will like. I'm sure your King will not be too jealous. Just because you don't hold the title of Queen does not mean you can't dress like one. Everyone who was at the coronation last night is aware of tonight's plans, but feel free to invite anyone else you would like. I look forward to seeing you._

_Her Majesty of Nevada,_

_Sophie Ann LeClerq_

A ball? Well way to give us a notice Sophie Ann! I wonder what Eric is going to say when he wakes up to find that he is expected to attend a ball in his honor…tonight. I opened the big box and pulled out a gorgeous, sapphire blue gown that was the most exquisite dress I had ever seen. The top was a corset style with a sweetheart neckline and beautiful Swarovski crystal beading. It flowed into a ball gown style bottom with little crystals scattered on the skirt. I stared at it in awe before realizing the skirt looked like a dark, starry night. Considering I'm in love with a vampire, it was perfect. I couldn't believe I now owned a gown fit for a Queen. Sophie Ann was definitely on my Christmas list this year.

It appeared there would be no going back to bed for me. I thought of who all I wanted to invite to the ball tonight and started making the necessary phone calls. Amelia stayed later than I did last night so presumably she already knew. I texted her just to make sure she wasn't going to ditch me.

_Did you hear about the ball tonight?_

_Yeah SA told us last night..what did she send?_

_The letter was about tonight…and the box was the coolest dress ever! Ur gonna be so jealous! Tell me you're coming._

_I'll be there…Godric invited me __ I need to go shopping tho. Meet me Cache in an hour._

_Okie Dokie ttyl_

One down. I assumed Sam and Tara already knew so I moved on to my brother. If this was a year ago, I probably wouldn't have invited him to such an event but with his own foot now in the Supernatural community; I figured he would be fine. He was already awake when I called being that he was out early with the road crew. After agreeing to let him bring a date and down as much free beer and appetizers as he could hold, he said he would be there. That didn't take too long since the only people I would invite to a room full of vamps and other Supes were people who were already going to be there or had just been invited. The last person I really wanted to have with me tonight was vamp crack, so unfortunately Claudine was out of the question.

I drove across town and met Amelia at the luxury dress shop in Shreveport. Arriving a few minutes before her, I went in to browse and start pulling things I thought she would like.

"Good morning. Can I help you find anything special today?" The pretty blonde behind the counter asked.

"Oh I'm meeting my friend here and she needs an evening gown. I was hoping to find something in gold?"

_That's where I know her from; she's that hot vamp's girl! I've seen her strutting around his club like she owns the place…what's so special about her anyways? I can tell she doesn't come from money, maybe he feels sorry for her._

"Sure we have some gold dresses, I'll show you." Plastering on a fake smile, she starts picking up dresses for Amelia.

Did I mention how much I love being a telepath? It's bad enough what the fangbangers at the bar think when I walk in, but this skank doesn't know me and is already thinking terrible things about me.

"Hey Sook!" Amelia calls as she walks in the door.

"Hey hun! I hope you don't mind, I went ahead and grabbed a few pieces I thought you might want to look at. They're in the dressing room already."

"Oh cool. Let's take a look." She peeked in the room and flipped through the dresses that the jealous bitch sales lady (I didn't catch her name) and me had brought in.

"Ooh these are beautiful. Are you on a gold kick right now?"

"Well you don't have to wear gold, but you know blue and gold are Louisiana's colors and I'm wearing blue so I thought it might be fun if you wore gold. You can choose anything you want though."

"That's a great idea! I'd love to wear gold, I mean with my tan skin and brown hair; I'll be a knockout!"

"Cocky much?" I teased her.

"I prefer to think of it as pleasantly confident."

We spent the next hour with Amelia trying on dresses and modeling them for me, while I tried not to hear the fantasies the sales lady was having about my man. After a particularly ugly thought about me and a very erotic thought of Eric, somehow her coffee cup tipped over and spilled all over her overpriced mini dress. Maybe it was a gust of wind or….telekinesis; it's hard to say really. After flushing with embarrassment and running off to the bathroom, she finally returned to ring up Amelia. After trying on about ten dresses, she had settled with a halter style, mermaid dress that was a light gold with a few silver sequins around the bust. She was right, she looked great in gold.

"So where are you heading off to with such a beautiful dress?" She asked my friend.

I had already filled her in on the girl's nasty thoughts about me and covetous thoughts of my bonded when she was off trying to clean her dress.

"Actually it's her man's big night. He's a well-known businessman and he just got a super important promotion, so I'm just honored to be tagging along with this VIP." She smiled playfully at me. God I loved her sometimes. The look on sales girl's face was priceless.

"Oh stop you!" I said playfully swatting Amelia. "Tonight is all about Eric, I'm just so happy to be bonded to such a great guy. He's really a looker and I can't wait to see him in that tux. Good Lord it's gonna be hotter than Hades tonight with him in the room."

"Especially with you on his arm!" Amelia teased back. By now the girl was thinking some really ugly thoughts and her face was red with jealousy. Served her right.

"So why weren't you looking for a dress? We have a clearance section if you know…money is tight." Her fake concern didn't gloss over the little dig at how she perceived my financial situation.

Smiling even brighter, I answered her. "Oh I never have to go to little shops like this anymore for important functions; my favorite designers are so used to it, they just send me dresses from their new lines when I need them. It's so convenient always getting the right piece in just the right size without even having to go look for it."

Her smile was quickly becoming a snarl and she was holding onto her pleasantness by a string. Amelia on the other hand was about to bust a gut trying not to laugh. She paid and we strolled out in the parking lot where my roomie immediately cracked up.

"Oh that was too good! Did you see her face?"

"Yeah well she had it coming. I could only ignore her for so long. It's a shame about her dress though, I've never seen a coffee cup lift up and spill on someone out of thin air like that. They should probably get their vents checked."

Laughing even harder, Amelia walked towards her car and invited me for some lunch before we had to get back to reality. We settled on a Panera that was down the road and were quickly polishing off some salads and sweet tea.

"So did you have a good time last night?" I asked her.

"Yeah it was great. Vampires really know how to bring the drama with all their rituals and ceremonies. Oh and I almost died when Pam swore herself to you; it was so sweet!"

"Yes it was. I love her like family; I'd do anything for her."

"Speaking of family, why didn't you ever tell me that Eric had such an awesome maker? Attractive and smart; could their bloodline be any more perfect?"

I shook my head because honestly she had a point. Godric was an ancient; with the mind of a genius, the courage of a God, and the humility of a great man. Eric was very old, very intelligent, the fiercest warrior I had ever seen, and a Viking sex God to boot. Last but not least was Pam who was also chosen for her courage, battle strength, and striking appearance. They were like the champion bloodline of the vampire world; everything about them screamed superiority and strength, with beauty in spades.

"Godric is awesome. He's so kind and soulful, but then again he's more powerful than I can even wrap my mind around. He's always been so good to me; even before Eric and I got together, I felt this connection to him. Thank goodness he felt it too because…." I felt the lump rising in my throat remembering the night I met him when he saved my life, and the next night when I saved his.

"What's wrong? What were you going to say?"

"The night I met Godric, I had been kidnapped by the Fellowship. This guy Gabe, he was like their enforcer; he attacked me and he was going to….rape me" I spit the words out with a bad taste in my mouth. "But Godric, he got to me in time and he saved me from whatever sick stuff Gabe had planned for me. By the peek I got in his head, I would have begged for death by the time he was done with me." My whole body shuddered at the memory.

"Oh my God!" She gasped and took my hand. "I'm so glad he was there for you."

"Me too. The next night I guess I repaid the favor. It turns out, he had been feeling down and his long life was feeling like more of a curse than a blessing; he went outside the next day and was going to meet the sun before I found him and Eric. Eric was hysterical and Godric was so convinced that he had no other choice but to die; he was so lost and hopeless. After Eric tried reasoning with him, I couldn't take it; I broke down crying and begged him not to do it. I had just met him and yet the thought of him dying was tearing me up. I knew at least a little part of it was because I could see what it was doing to Eric and it scared me to death. I didn't want Godric to meet the true death and even scarier; I knew Eric would follow him. I guess I didn't let myself believe at the time that I was already falling head over heels for Eric."

"That's terrible! He seems so happy now; I can't imagine him doing that."

"I know; it was terrible. Somehow though I guess my words struck a chord with him, because he decided not to do it. Maybe he already knew what would become of me and Eric; he said Eric cared about me and that we had a special connection. I didn't believe him at the time, but maybe I'm not the only one with a little mental quirk."

"Wow that's crazy. I'm glad everything worked out for the best for everyone."

"So you're going as his date tonight?" I said changing the subject.

"Yeah, he asked me last night. We talked for hours, it was great. Are you cool with that?" She asked nervously.

"Of course! I love Godric and I love you, so I think it's great!"

"You don't think I'm a major slut? I mean you know me and Pam have had some fun and fooled around, and now going on a date with her…grandfather? Isn't that weird?"

"Maybe if we were all human and you were going out with her grandpa!" I laughed. "I think rules in the vampire world are a little different though. If you two want to get to know each other better, then I say more power to you."

"Thanks. He's a really great guy."

"He sure is. Just promise me one thing ok?"

"Sure, anything."

"If you fuck him, don't turn him into a cat or any other fuzzy animal. Eric will drain you dry."

Amelia threw her bread at me before we both doubled over in laughter.

"Come on glitter vag, we need to get going." She said before we walked out and headed back to Bon Temps.


	23. What Dreams May Come

_**A/N: So there are some mixed thoughts about Amelia and Godric going on a date. They aren't a couple or anything, just hanging out and seeing where things go. If you guys want to throw in your opinion on the matter, I'm glad to hear it. I'm not sure how far things will go between them yet but fear not; no one else in my stories will ever rival the love that the Viking and telepath have!**_

* * *

We made it back to the farmhouse and started the lengthy process of primping for the night. I showered and re-shaved my still smooth legs before pulling on my favorite robe and lounging on my bed for a little while. It was a novelty to be in this bed anymore with as much time as I spent at Eric's house. As I lay there resting, mind drifted to how much everything was changing around me. In the last 6 months I had housed my brain damaged friend and managed to fall head over heels for him; I had started working for a vampire Queen, inherited millions of dollars, become practically a full Faery and immortal, participated in a coup to overthrow Nevada, gave my best friend immortality and super witch powers, and now my bonded was the new King of Louisiana. Well at least no one can accuse me of being boring.

I fell asleep and dreamt of images of Vikings wearing the ridiculous get-up of a King from the Middle Ages. Eric was seated in his throne at Fangtasia, but he was wearing the full King regalia; long red velvet cape, white tights, and those stupid pointy black shoes. He laughed at the peasants kneeling before him (Bill and some other random vamps I had seen at the bar) while he devoured a big turkey leg. I looked at him in shock.

"You're a vampire, you can't eat food!"

He looked at the turkey leg quizzically before tossing it down and turning towards me. With a hiss, his fangs ran out and he lunged at me.

"You're right. I am vampire and you are mine!" His fangs sank into my neck as he greedily sucked my blood with long, hard pulls.

He was taking too much; I was becoming weaker by the second but he didn't stop. I tried to no avail to push him off me while screaming for him to stop.

"Stop! You're going to kill me! Please don't! STOP!"

"Sookie! Sookie wake up! It's ok, you're ok!"

I came to with Amelia on top of me, shaking me and screaming at me. I was gasping for breath, trying to get my bearings while she wrapped her arms around me.

"It's ok honey, you were having some sort of nightmare. Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine, it was stupid. I'm ok, thanks for coming."

My phone was ringing now and I had a pretty good idea who it was; I reached over and confirmed my suspicion that Eric was calling. Though it was still afternoon and he was dead for the day, he was sometimes able to wake for short periods during the day if he felt strong emotions from me pulling at him.

I answered the phone but wasn't even able to get a word out before he started.

"Sookie are you hurt? What is going on?"

"No Eric I'm fine. I'm sorry I woke you up, I was just taking a nap and I had a nightmare. Really I'm fine."

"I felt your terror, but there was confusion as well; I didn't know what was happening. You're sure you are unharmed?"

"Yeah I'm sure; it was just a stupid dream. Listen, while you're awake I should go ahead and tell you that Sophie Ann has planned a ball for your coronation tonight. Apparently everyone will be there and we need to be at the Bossier Country Club at 9. I'm getting ready at my house but I can meet you back at your place at 8 if you want?"

"Ugh. I was hoping to avoid a ball since we only decided at the last minute that I would accept the throne. Perhaps we can stay home and I will tell them that you are having female troubles. I'm sure they wouldn't ask too many questions after that."

"Uh no. There's no way you're missing out on this. Plus Sophie Ann sent me a gorgeous dress and I can't wait to wear it, so we're definitely going."

"Fine, but know that I am only going so that I may see you in this dress before I rip it off you."

"There will be no ripping this one mister! She said I would look like a Queen and damn it I'm going to enjoy this!"

"Very well lover. I will carefully slide it off your warm, silky body before…"

"Ok just hold it right there. Let's get back on topic before you die again. What do you want to do about me meeting up with you?"

"Mr. Cataliades will pick you up at 8 and you can swing by and get me."

"Ok sounds good, now get back to sleep. I'll see you later, love you."

"Very well. I love you dear one. Try not to have any more nightmares; perhaps you should dream about me and the things I will do to you after I _carefully_ remove that dress tonight."

A little shiver of pleasure ran through me when I hung up. He sure did know how to get a girl all riled up. Amelia had left when I answered the phone, but she was walking back in now with a tea cup in her hand.

"Here, this will help you feel better." She said handing me the steaming mug.

"Thanks."

"So what in the world were you dreaming about that had you screaming like a crazy person?"

"It was stupid really." I relayed my dream to her as she listened intently. She snickered when I mentioned how Eric was dressed, but other than that she just listened.

"Sounds to me like you're scared of his new position."

"Maybe. I mean I think it's safer for him to be King then wait and see how the new monarch would have treated me, but I am nervous that he put an even bigger target on his back now. I guess selfishly, I'm also worried what this means for me and him; I mean he's going to be really busy and what if he doesn't have time for us anymore?"

"Sookie you know he will always have time for you. He's proved that over and over; granted you might have to be willing to compromise more of your time than what you do now, but I'm sure you two will be fine."

"You're right; I'm just being a nervous nelly. So, what do you say we play ghetto salon and get each other all pretty for tonight?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll get the nail polish, you get the makeup, and I'll meet you downstairs in five."

We spent the next hour and a half filing and painting each other's nails and toenails to coordinate with our outfits for the evening. As Amelia had once put it, 'I had a good eye for makeup' so she asked me to do hers before I retreated to my room to finish getting myself ready. At a quarter 'til eight, I heard the crunch of gravel as Mr. C made his way down the driveway.

I reached into my jewelry box and pulled out the diamond and sapphire necklace Eric had given me when we went to New Orleans and put it on. Knowing vampires; there was no way I could overdress for the occasion, so I also put on the diamond bracelet he gave me yesterday and some platinum sapphire earrings he had given me when we returned from the aforementioned trip. I carefully made my way downstairs, trying not to trip over my dress and was greeted by Mr. Cataliades and his niece Diantha.

"DamnyoulookhotSookie" Diantha said and let out a little whistle.

"Thank you Diantha. You look lovely as well." Truth be told; it wasn't anything I would consider wearing tonight, but the emerald green dress was much better than any of her other outfits I had seen.

"Sookie you are a vision. You look every bit the Queen to stand beside your King." Mr. C said in such a warm tone, I felt my eyes get a little misty.

"Thank you Mr. C. You look as handsome as ever."

Amelia walked out looking like a beautiful golden trophy and we all complimented each other again before getting ready to leave.

"My dear, there is something I would like to speak with you about. Could we have a moment of privacy please?"

"Ok sure. Amelia if you wouldn't mind, maybe you and Diantha could wait for us in the car?"

"Of course. I'm sure Di and I can entertain ourselves for a few minutes." They walked outside and my demon lawyer sat on the couch and waited for me.

I took a seat beside him and held my breath for what he going to tell me. With Supes, it's best to expect the worst so you're not too shocked.

"This is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but your great grandfather made me promise to wait." Oh no, it's a bad sign if Fae trickery was involved. "Don't worry dear, this is good news I assure you. You see, I am your Godfather."

"You're my Godfather? But I thought Claudine was my Godmother?"

"She is and I am the other half of the equation. Just as you did not know about Claudine watching over you until recently; I have also looked out for you from the day you were born. Of course up until a year ago, I was never able to let you know of my presence or interact with you. The day you were brought home from the hospital, your biological Grandfather Fintan appointed me to be your guardian. He did not yet know that you had the spark, but he said he had a feeling you were something very special. I came to you that night; I inspected you and instantly knew you had the essential spark of the Fae. You were a beautiful child and I knew from that day that you would make your mark in the Supernatural world. I returned to Fintan and confirmed that you did indeed carry the spark and that I thought you would be a powerful force one day; I pledged my loyalty to you that night and Fintan appointed me to your Godfather. It was a great honor."

I sat staring into space for who knows how long while I processed what he was saying. It was true that I had always felt some sort of connection with him, but I figured it was just because he was a Fae creature and had always treated me so well.

"I'm shocked. I mean I always liked you and felt safe around you, but I didn't know why. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Sadly my dear, you had not yet accepted that you were not merely a human. Niall said the time must be right before I could tell you of our connection. He wanted to make sure you were going to accept your heritage before I made myself known to you. Just because I have not always been where you can see me, I have always looked after you like you were my own flesh and blood." He must have seen the confusion in my eyes. "Do you remember the day your Gran left you alone with your Uncle Bartlett for the first time and that she was somehow compelled to drive back to the house that day?"

I shivered at the terrible memory of my Uncle. He was a vile, sick man who was always trying to do terrible things to me as a child; terrible sexual things. It had never progressed to the point of any kind of penetration but that was because of the day Cataliades was speaking about. My Gran had left me with Uncle Bartlett to go on a trip with her friends from the garden club; I was terrified of what he would do to me, but I was too scared of him to tell Gran. About an hour after she left, she suddenly returned just in time to find Bartlett trying to weasel his way into my bed. After beating him with the broom, she threw him out and never spoke to him again. Years later she confided to me that she couldn't explain why she had come back that day, only that she had this overwhelming feeling that I needed her to come home.

"You did that?" He shook his head and took my hand.

"Yes I did. Niall and Fintan would not allow me to interfere in your life, but I heard Bartlett's thoughts one day when I was checking in on you and I couldn't allow him to hurt you. When she left you alone with him that day, I didn't care what I had to do; I was not going to allow him to do anything to hurt you. I compelled your Gran to go back to you that day in time. If I couldn't have willed her to go, I would have stopped him myself; damn the consequences."

"Thank you! You have no idea what this means to me. I thought Jason was all I had left before I met Claudine and Niall, and now to know that I have a Godfather too; it's overwhelming. How did I get so lucky to have two wonderful Godparents?"

"We are the lucky ones dear. You are a wonderful young woman and I am honored to be your sacred guardian. It is a role I have always cherished."

I reached out and gave him a bear hug, relishing in my newfound kin. Most people don't imagine a demon would be the cuddly type, and they aren't; but for me he was just family.

"Well we better get going if we are to pick up your bonded on time. He can't very well be late to a ball in his honor." He chuckled.

We stood and made our way out to the car where Amelia and Diantha were already waiting. When I climbed into the backseat, my roomie looked at me questioningly.

"Everything alright?"

"Yep. In fact everything is perfect." I smiled.

* * *

_**A/N: Ok so that was pretty short, but I felt like it was time for this to come to out. Sookie now knows that Cataliades is her Godfather and now it's on to the ball we go…..**_


	24. Boogie Nights

We pulled up to Eric's house about half an hour after full dark. Being in close proximity to my lover had my blood singing to be reunited with the other half of me. I got out of the limo and was quickly greeted by my Viking zooming up to me. He slowed just a few feet away and stopped to admire me; my face instantly blushing as his eyes drank in my appearance. I couldn't help but to look down at my feet as I felt uncomfortable with the intense stare he was locking on me.

He closed the space between us and gently pushed my chin up with his hand. "Look at me lover. There is no need for you to feel embarrassed; you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I will have to hang onto you tightly for certainly the Gods will call their Goddess home to Asgard at any moment." He kissed the back of my hand in a cherishing gesture. The bond was humming with love and my knees were turning to jelly.

"Thank you Eric. You look amazing. I'm going to have to beat the girls off with a stick….or maybe a stake."

"Oh my little warrior, how I love when you are possessive of me. It turns me on immensely."

"Come on handsome, we've got to get going."

He helped lower me back into my seat before folding his large body in with feline like gracefulness. As soon as he closed the door, Amelia was on with her shenanigans.

"Duh duh duh duh" Making fake trumpet noises with her mouth. Then in her best British impersonation she said, "All hail King Northman; mightiest of Kings, slayer of dragons and maidens panties alike. Hail King!"

"Why thank you witch. What a lovely introduction." He smiled very amused.

I was downright snorting I was laughing so hard and Diantha was snickering in her funny yipping way.

"I think she has you pegged honey." I blurted out between giggles.

"Almost; I am a mighty warrior, but I only slay one maiden's panties and those are yours."

Oh wow, maybe I needed to turn up the A/C it was suddenly very hot in here.

"So is there anything I need to know about the ball tonight? Anything I really should or shouldn't do? I'm not really sure the rules of entertaining a building full of Supernaturals while being the bonded of the vampire King guest of honor."

Eric gave me his classic smirk. "I'm sure you will do just fine my love, you are always a perfect lady in these situations. You are bonded to a King; therefore you will not need to kneel to anyone. Just give a nice little head bow to other royals and use your best judgment." He turned to face Amelia. "Since you will be there with my maker, who is a Sheriff; you will need to curtsy to other royals and give a head bow to other vampires."

"Got it; vampires are great and I'm a portable meal in a very pretty package." She snarked back at him.

"You know that you are better than an average human Amelia, this is simply deference to those in attendance. The fact that you are a powerful witch and will be on the arm of an ancient vampire Sheriff; you will not be looked upon as some sort of fangbanger."

"Well thanks, that's good to know."

I poured Amelia and me a glass of champagne and in no time we were pulling up to Pam's neighborhood.

"We are picking up Pam and Godric." He said answering my unspoken question.

"Oh awesome!" I said winking at Amelia.

"I didn't know they were going to be riding with us!" She said and whipped out her compact to check out her makeup and hair.

"Don't worry, you look fantastic. He's going to get a fang boner just looking at you!" I whispered to her laughing.

Eric stepped out to greet them and gave Godric a small bow. Pam did the same to Eric and he kissed the back of her hand before putting her in the limo.

"Good evening Sookie; Amelia. You both look lovely this evening." Godric said.

"Yes, positively fuckable. Very nice." Pam smiled showing some fang. "Sookie I love that perfume; what is it Eau de Faery?"

"Ha ha yep you guessed it!"

"Oh Pam don't be silly, it's her favorite perfume. It's Eau de Viking cock and Faery." Amelia teased.

"Really? Yummy that sounds delightful. Hmmm…I think I've smelled that before. Wherever did you find it?" Pam asked grinning like a mad hatter.

"Oh you know in a little store called 'go fuck yourself'" I said cheery as ever before all us girls cracked up laughing.

Godric smiled and looked at Eric, speaking in his native Greek. "Ωστόσο να συμβαδίσει με αυτά τα μικρά σειρήνες;" (_However do you keep up with these little sirens?)_

"Παιδί μου και μου συνδεδεμένο είναι αρκετά τη χούφτα και τους αγαπώ αυτόν τον τρόπο. Η μάγισσα έχει αυξηθεί ακόμη και για μένα." (_My child and my bonded are quite the handful and I love them that way. The witch has even grown on me.)_

We made our way to the country club after a few minutes, and pulling up it looked like we were arriving for the Oscars. The huge, beige stone club was an old antebellum building that had been restored several years ago. Tonight it was lit up with beautiful landscaping lights and dark blue and gold satin banners were hanging across the front doorway. There were cars and other limos pulling around the circle drive and dropping off guests at the door. When we pulled up, Eric stepped out and helped me out. Pam and Diantha stepped out and Godric held his hand out for Amelia. As the car pulled away, I looked to Eric.

"Isn't Mr. Cataliades coming in? He's invited right?"

"Of course dear. He will park the car and then come in."

I lowered my voice and pulled Eric closer. "He told me something tonight…he's my Godfather. He also called himself my sacred Guardian."

"Interesting, that explains a lot. I knew he always had a soft spot for you, but I did not know the reason beyond that of being Fae himself. You know it is a great honor to have a sacred Guardian. You should feel very lucky."

"I do. I really like him and now I guess he's family."

Eric smiled and kissed the top of my head. I took a deep breath and shook my head that we should go in; I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the long night ahead.

We weren't inside for more than two minutes before we bombarded with well-wishers (sincere and insincere) and political allies and all sorts of Supernatural groups. I had a perma-grin plastered on my face to the point where my cheeks were beginning to hurt. Godric and Amelia were off mingling with the crowd and I found myself jealous that Eric and I couldn't just have a carefree evening as well. Oh well, that's what happens when you're dating the head honcho vampire of Louisiana.

After speaking with a few dozen people, Eric guided me towards a smaller room with only a few lounge chairs and even fewer people inside. Immediately I noticed Sophie Ann across the room. I walked forward and as she stood out of her chair, I gave her a deep bow beside Eric. She smiled at the gesture and nodded back to me.

"I was right; you look amazing in that dress." She said.

"Thank you your Majesty, it was very kind of you; I love it. You look lovely as well." She was wearing a long, slinky silver gown that looked like liquid metal. It contrasted against her bright red hair beautifully.

"Yes Sophie Ann, you are beautiful as always." Eric said kissing her hand. "I understand I have you to thank for this get together tonight."

"Yes, but knowing you; I imagine you weren't thrilled at the idea of a ball in your honor. You must get used to it though; you are a King now and must accommodate some of our ways. Even the ones you do not like unfortunately."

Eric simply nodded his head in agreement. We spoke with her for only a few minutes before she shooed us off to go enjoy the night.

Mingling through the crowd again, I felt and heard Thalia turn and hiss as someone was rapidly approaching me. Earlier I had noticed she was trailing behind Eric and me keeping a watch out for our safety and now apparently she had done her job, grabbing my would-be attacker.

"What the hell? Get your hands off me you crazy lady! That's my sister!"

Realizing who she was putting a death grip on, I turned bright red and apologized.

"Thalia it's ok that's my brother Jason. You can let him go, please."

She nodded her head and released Jason; the color started returning to his face.

"Sorry Jay but she was just doing her job. You should know better than to rush towards a King and yell at his girlfriend!"

"Sorry I was just excited to see ya."

"It's fine, I'm happy to see you too! You look great!" A pretty brunette had walked up nervously beside my brother and was looking at me now. "And who is this beautiful girl?" I asked smiling at her.

"Sookie this is my date, Michelle Schulbert." He beamed at her and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Michelle it's nice to meet you. I'm Sookie Stackhouse and this is King Eric Northman of Louisiana; my boyfriend." I nudged Eric a little closer to greet her since he was looking rather bored. He was giving me a look that showed what he thought about me using the term boyfriend.

"It's nice to meet you both. I love your dress, you look very pretty." A dip inside her head told me she was nervous, but excited that my horn dog brother was actually introducing her to the family. She was also thinking that Eric was really hot, but not her type. Smart on her part.

I noticed Jason sort of bump her back as he bowed his head to Eric so she would follow.

"Jason thank you for attending. I know your sister is happy to have you and your date here tonight." Eric said.

"Uh sure, thanks for the invite. After you called this morning, I called Calvin and he gave me the heads up on what to wear and all. Hey did you see Sam? He's here with Tara, apparently they're a couple now."

"Yeah I saw them a little while ago, and they came to the coronation last night."

We chatted for a few more minutes before Jason excused them to go find the bar. I couldn't believe my tomcat brother was here with a girl that seemed to be so nice and not…well slutty. Dare I hope that maybe he was starting to grow up a little bit? Well that remains to be seen. Eric was busy talking to the King and Queen of California when I excused myself to go find the little bacon wrapped filet mignon bites I had seen one of the waiters carrying.

Following my nose for the wonderful smell of bacon, I found my little treasures sitting on one of the refreshment tables in the bar room. I grabbed a plate and began stacking it with all kinds of delicious one bite snacks. Everything tasted so good; I wasn't paying any attention to the fact that I was being watched.

"Hungry?" Quinn teased as he walked up to me.

"Oh yeah….haven't ate much…..these are great." I mumbled while popping another little stuffed mushroom in my mouth.

"It's nice to see a girl who isn't afraid to eat. So many girls now are so concerned with gaining a pound they wouldn't dare eat like that in front of other people."

"Yeah well I'm not most girls. I don't give a hoot if people know that I like food, it's pretty obvious looking at me that I do."

"A girl with curves is way sexier than a bag of bones."

I blushed and realized this conversation was taking on a dangerous undertone; dangerous for Quinn.

"Everything looks great; you and your company really did a great job especially for such short notice."

"Thanks, we try. That's why we're the best in the business." He smiled in triumph. I didn't blame him, it really was a great setup he had going.

"Well it was nice seeing you; I better get back to Eric before he wonders where I've run off to."

"Bye Sookie. I look forward to working with you soon."

After sneaking into the bathroom to brush my teeth; (a habit I picked up from dating Bill) I walked around speaking to everyone while slowly making my way back to Eric. I let my internal blood bond GPS guide me to him and he wrapped his arms around me lovingly when I walked up beside him.

"Ah Miss Stackhouse, so nice to see you." Russell Edgington took my hand and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it.

"Your Majesty it's always a pleasure." I said while bowing out of respect. Eric had already told me to simply nod my head at other royals, but who doesn't love the flamboyant King of Mississippi?

Russell, now looking at Eric said "I was surprised to hear that you were going to accept Sophie Ann's offer of Louisiana. I have to say I am very pleased though."

"As am I. I wish to restore Louisiana to her former glory and lead a life as unmolested as any Monarch can hope for. Of course it helps to have allies in the great states of Mississippi, Texas, and Nevada." Eric said.

"I agree. Perhaps one day you and I will rule the Southern states."

"I have no desire to own anything more than my little piece of the country. I'm sure you will make a great King for however many states you are able to conquer."

All the political pandering was getting really old so I was excited when Pam walked up and told us to go to the ballroom for the main attraction. My handsome Viking led me on his arm to the ballroom which was stunning. There were sapphire blue linens on all the tables with little bursts of gold in the forms of balloons, plates, and decanters. There were round tables set up all around the outside of the huge, wooden dance floor and our table was closest to the stage. I noticed there was a larger, red plush chair at our table and several at the tables closest to ours. Watching people take their seats, I concluded that the fancy chairs were for all the Monarchs in attendance and that the tables closest to Eric's were designated for them. Godric, Amelia, Pam, and Pam's date (snack) for the night came and sat down with us.

A familiar booming voice came over the intercom as Quinn stepped up to the stage and took the mic.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen; Kings and Queens, Sheriffs and dignitaries. We are here tonight to honor the former Sheriff of Area 5 of Louisiana; Eric Northman. As many of you witnessed last night, Mr. Northman has now ascended to the throne as King of Louisiana. It is a privilege and honor for Extremely Elegant Events to host this event and we wish everyone to have a great time tonight. Without further ado, I'd like to present to you our entertainers for the evening; The Dead Man Dance Band. Take it away guys."

"Oh I've heard of them; they were the first all-vampire band to win a VMA! I can't believe they're here!" I whispered to Eric.

"The tiger does not disappoint; though if he looks at you like that again, I will make him into a rug for my office."

"Don't be silly, he wasn't looking at me!" I protested but Eric just gave me that 'I'm not stupid' look.

The band had set up the stage vamp speed and was looking out at the audience when the lead singer came to the microphone.

"Good evening bloodsuckers, fangbangers, furbangers, and all the rest of you! We're the Dead Man Dance Band and we are here to rock!" His British accent was natural as he was turned only twenty something years ago and his forever youthful face screamed he was still the young rocker he was when he was turned. "But before we get to that, it's time for the honorary King Northman and his beautiful bonded to take the first lap around the dance floor."

Eric stood proudly but I was somewhere between cowering and trying to blend into the tablecloth. Don't get me wrong, I love to dance; but what I don't like is being on the dance floor alone with all eyes on me. Before I could slip out the emergency exit, Eric pulled me up and led me to the dance floor. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me flush against his body.

"Relax lover, you are a fantastic dancer." He whispered against my ear. I tried to heed his advice but found myself utterly tense. The band struck up the music and I was pleasantly surprised to hear Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me To The Moon'

Forgetting how nervous I was, I moved to the music with him. "Eric did you do this?"

"Do what?" He said smirking.

"You remembered I love Frank Sinatra. I told you when you didn't have your memories. This is just perfect." I couldn't reach his lips because of our height difference and the dancing didn't help, so instead I pulsed my love through my light into his hand. He smiled and let his fangs run out. We were lost in each other's eyes and didn't notice when everyone else finally came out to the dance floor until Amelia and Godric bumped into us.

"Earth to Sookie: hello?" She said right beside me.

"Yeah yeah, I'm here." I answered her.

"Well you haven't taken your eyes off each other for ten minutes, just wanted to make sure you weren't in a coma or something."

"Nope just enjoying ourselves. Go on and dance with your date!" I chided her playfully.

"Gladly" She said smiling at Godric. They began moving to the song as Eric and I snapped out of our haze and kept up with the music.

"Are you enjoying yourself my King?"

"With you in my arms I am. Now if you could just pop everyone else out of here, it would be perfect."

"Sorry babe I don't think it works that way."

"That's a shame. Maybe you could pop us back to my house."

"Oh really? Where exactly would you like me to pop us to?"

"Oh I don't know; the bedroom, the kitchen, the shower, the backyard, the pool, wherever you want." His low growl and wandering hands were doing bad things to my self-control. Maybe no one would notice if we magically disappeared into thin air. Hell with how hot he was making me, I really didn't give a damn if anyone noticed.

Luckily before I could make a rash decision and use my Faery powers in front of everyone, Godric walked up.

"My son, I would be honored to have a dance with your bonded."

"Of course Master." Eric said stepping aside.

"May I?" Amelia asked Eric and looked towards me.

"Be my guest." I nodded at the both of them.

Eric pulled Amelia onto the dance floor but I noticed he kept a space between them, not putting her body against his. _Good boy_ I thought. Godric was a very easy dance partner, leading me gracefully around the floor with the ease only a 2000 year old vampire could convey.

"So how are things in Louisiana my dear?"

"Things are going good. Since we were able to stop the Mississippi takeover and eventual Louisiana takeover, I think things are going to be fine…..I hope."

"You really do know how to see the bright side of things don't you? That's a rare quality among humans, but perhaps it comes from your Fae side." He grinned.

"I don't know about that. It probably has a lot to do with how my Gran raised me. She told me to try to see the good in people and never take for granted all the good things in my life."

"She sounds like a wise woman. I would like to meet her someday."

Choking back my sadness, I explained to him. "Well she died last year. There was a man who was killing women that associated with vampires and he murdered my Gran one night trying to get to me."

"I am sorry to hear that. We vampires aren't the only creatures who can be cruel; I believe you taught me that."

"You've got that right. Some humans are just as bloodthirsty as vampires; if not more. One thing I've learned being involved with Supes is that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Gran was always teaching me to give everyone a chance and not worry about what they might look like on the outside. She was the strongest woman I ever knew. You know what the worst part about her death was?"

"What's that?"

"She never got to meet Eric. She never got to see me happier than I've ever been with a man who loves me. Strange as it may sound, I think she would have liked him."

"If anyone could resist the charms of my child, it sounds like your Grandmother could have. Maybe she would have been able to put him in his place."

I laughed at the thought of Gran scolding Eric for tonguing me in front of her or torturing one of his minions. "Yeah she would have. I bet she would have been pretty intimidating too; even to a badass Viking vampire!"

We both laughed and enjoyed our dance which turned into about three dances before making our way back to our dates. Eric and I sat down at our table while he drank a blood cocktail and I downed two more glasses of champagne. I reminded myself to ask Quinn about the champagne so I could buy some for the house; I could definitely get used to this.

The band had been singing for a good hour and a half when the lead man announced that they were taking a break and the DJ would be taking over. The music came blasting through the speakers and I almost squealed when I heard the wobble come on. I jumped up and ran to the dance floor, dragging Amelia and Tara with me. We were having a blast, dancing and wobbling our best assets with an increasing number of vamps and other Supes watching. Several females (human, Weres, shifters, even a few vampires) joined in and I was pleasantly surprised to see Jason's date Michelle, had wormed her way in beside me. I hoped Jason stuck with this one because I was quickly starting to like this girl.

The DJ kept the party going with tons of upbeat dance music and Amelia and I were dancing like there was no tomorrow. When I heard Ciara's 'Body Party' come on I ran to Eric like a deranged Faery and drug him to the dance floor. I turned my back to him and slowly started swaying my hips to the music and lightly grinding my ass on him. His hands clenched my hips and I think he may have even moved with me, which just further incited my seduction.

I turned to face him and rubbed my hands down his shirt while shamelessly rubbing myself all over him and sang the best parts to him.

"My body is your party baby….nobody's invited but you baby….You can't keep your hands off me, touch me right there, rock my body….."

I'd like to think that it wasn't just the four glasses of champagne making me so brave, but it probably didn't hurt. Eric was straining to control himself and the huge problem in his pants, but he wasn't the only one; I remember faintly hearing the sounds of fangs coming down all around the room. Not surprisingly many couples were calling it a night and heading out and I noticed several vampires huddled in corners with their dates or donors.

"It is time for us to leave you naughty little minx." Eric growled before throwing me over his shoulder cave man style. A good girl would have been embarrassed at such a display, but apparently I'm not a good girl because I was just horny and anxious…..and a little tipsy.

I waved goodbye to Amelia on my way out, who just shook her head and laughed. She broadcast a thought right at me that I picked up loud and clear. "Get it girl!"

Being around vamps who have no sense of embarrassment or any qualms about sexual stuff in front of strangers can make you more adventurous; which is probably what prompted me to use my position over Eric's shoulder to grab my favorite part of his body. It was right in my face, I couldn't help myself. As soon as we were back outside, Eric pulled me back up to face him and launched us into the sky. We were at his house in no time and making out like a bunch of teenagers while trying to get in the house. Needless to say, we only made it right inside the front door before Eric had pulled off my dress and attacked me.

"I believe you said something about a party that only I was invited to?" He teased.

"Yep, the party is in my mouth and you're the only one coming."

The next two hours were a blur of fucking, feeding, and bliss. When Eric finally let me up to go to the bathroom, I was walking bowlegged; which was fine with me. I took a few minutes to freshen up before walking back out to the living room in my birthday suit. As I rounded the corner, I called out to Eric.

"I hope you're ready for more min Viking!"

My eyes popped out of my head when I saw a beautiful, red headed girl sitting beside Eric on the couch. Did I mention Eric was still naked and there was a pretty girl now in our house sitting beside him while I stood there naked as a jay bird?!

"Sookie I'd like you to meet my child; Karin."

Well how-dee-fucking-do.


	25. The Love of A Child

_**A/N: This is a short chapter but I needed to take a minute to introduce Karin and her backstory. Just a quick note; there is some discrepancy in the books about how old Pam is, but for my stories I have always considered her to be about 200. Also, I know Karin is described differently in the books but since we don't meet her until the last pitiful excuse of a book, I'm taking my own creative license with her. As always, thanks for reading**_!

* * *

"Uh…hi Karin, nice to meet you; If you'll please excuse me for a moment." I calmly turned on my heel and walked towards my bedroom to grab some clothes. It surprised me that I wasn't more embarrassed; if this would have been the old Sookie I would have ran away screaming while trying to cover myself. I guess it's one perk of being around Supes so often; modesty pretty much goes out the window. I grabbed some pink sleep shorts and a gray cotton tee out of my drawer while thinking about the guest in the living room. Eric had introduced her as his child; which was news to me seeing that I didn't know he had any other progenies besides Pam.

I had more questions than answers at this point, like why did she show up announced right before dawn and why didn't Eric know she was close by? Figuring that I wouldn't find any answers by standing around in my room, I walked out to the kitchen and heated two True Bloods before returning to the living room. Eric and Karin were still sitting on the couch talking but luckily he had put on some gym shorts.

Karin was a slender girl with a nice body and blazing red hair. She wasn't curvy like me, but she still had a nice feminine shape and emerald green eyes set off by dark, thick lashes. It only reinforced the conversation I had with Amelia; Eric's bloodline was absolutely stunning. Her appearance was a surprise though, as I was beginning to think Eric had a fetish for blondes.

"Here you go." I said handing them the warm bloods.

"Thank you lover."

"Thank you mistress." Karin replied with a nod of her head.

"Oh please call me Sookie."

"It's nice to meet you Sookie. I'm sorry to show up announced, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to the Coronation ball in time."

"Oh that's alright, no worries." I said only partially lying.

"Sookie I realize this must be surprising to you because I haven't had the chance to tell you of my other child yet. I haven't seen her in a long time, so you can see why I just hadn't thought to mention it until now."

"That's ok honey. I'm always happy to meet any of your family." It's true I was happy to meet Eric's family but it also occurred to me that maybe he had a reason for not telling me about her.

"So Karin, are you going to be in town for a while?"

"Yes, I decided to come and support my master with his transition to King and see if I could offer any assistance."

"Well that's very kind of you. I hope we can spend some time together while you're in town and get to know each other."

Karin turned to Eric with a sly smile. "I have heard rumors of her grace, but they do her no justice. You are quite lucky sire."

"Thank you my child; I agree. I am very lucky indeed." Eric said while rubbing circles on the back of my hand.

"Well I will leave you two alone, I must get going if I'm to make it to the hotel before dawn." Karin said. She stood to walk to the door when I looked at Eric questioningly.

"Karin you are welcome to stay with me. I'm sure Sookie would not mind." Eric said to his oldest child.

"Of course not! This is Eric's house and you're his daughter so of course you're welcome here. Why don't you two catch up and I'll go make sure the guest room is all set up." Hostess Sookie was rearing her head for sure. Eric kissed the top of my head before I scurried off to play Martha Stewart.

I went upstairs to the second floor (3rd if you count the underground level) and walked to one of the vampire guest rooms. There were three bedrooms on this floor; all of them light tight with a protective UV covering over the windows and black out curtains on top. This particular room seemed more feminine to me so I thought it would be perfect for Karin. The walls were painted a matte gold/yellow color and the queen size sleigh bed was covered in a fluffy white down comforter and more pillows than any one person could use. There was a matching dresser, nightstand, and vanity table as well as a small stainless steel refrigerator and microwave. I pulled off the comforter and shook it out before tucking it back neatly onto the bed. Going downstairs to the bathroom in my guest room, I grabbed a new bottle of body wash, shampoo, conditioner, some Body by Victoria lotion and perfume, and a few hair products.

Eric had gone a little overboard with stocking my bathroom with all the things I liked using when I started spending the night over here. When I explained to him how long it would take me to actually use all the things he bought, he just shrugged it off and said at least it will be here when I need it. I considered that I was stocking the bathroom the way I would for one of my human friends, but every girl likes to smell good whether they're vampire or not. After putting all the products in a little wicker basket, I grabbed my vase which was currently overflowing with purple orchids and went to the kitchen to grab a pack of True Bloods. I went back to the room and unloaded everything, placing the blood in the refrigerator and the orchids on the nightstand. I was putting fresh towels on the rack in the bathroom when Eric and Karin walked in.

"Oh hey, I was just finishing up. I put plenty of toiletries in the bathroom and some blood in the refrigerator. Is there anything else you think you will need?" I asked her, feeling pleased with myself for my Southern upbringing.

"Oh no everything looks wonderful; thank you Sookie." She said nodding her head.

One thing I picked up from my short time with Karin so far was that even though she was being polite, I didn't feel the same easiness that I felt with Pam. I just met her of course, so hopefully that could be corrected.

"Ok, well goodnight then." I turned and walked out of the room and back down to Eric's bedroom knowing that he would be right behind since it was only a few minutes until dawn.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth and came out to find my magnificently naked Viking waiting for me in bed. I flipped the lights and threw myself into the bed, landing at Eric's feet. With a speed too fast for me to register, he pulled me up into his lap and hugged me close to his bare chest.

"You are amazing lover." He was absently stroking my hair, which was a mixture of soothing and sensual. I couldn't decide if I should jump him or fall asleep.

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm sure you were shocked to meet Karin, since you didn't even know she existed but you still went out of your way to make her feel welcome. I do not know other humans who would do such a thing."

"It's nothing really. It's just plain decency and good manners to treat her that way; I mean she's your child."

"It means a lot to me. I was surprised by her arrival as well, but you took it especially well."

"So you didn't like feel her coming or something?"

"I'm afraid I was very distracted tonight and wasn't paying attention. I released her a long time ago and closed down our bond almost completely. The connection isn't present the same way it is with Pam, but of course I would know if she were in trouble or calling me. Truthfully since I have bonded to you, our connection is stronger than any I share with my children or my maker."

"That's understandable. I was just wondering something though…..is there any reason you didn't tell me about her already?" I asked nervously.

"She is my oldest child; my only progeny besides Pam. I turned her 372 years ago when I was passing through Northern Ireland. At the time, the Irish were involved in a war amongst themselves and the English which was known as the Great Rebellion. Karin; or Karan O'Dwyer as she was known at the time was a young woman who was widowed because of this war. She was only twenty years old, she had no children and her husband had recently been killed in battle. I came across her farm one night as I was searching for a meal and instead I found Karin in an argument with two English soldiers who were trying to force her from her land. With her husband dead, they knew they could come in and 'claim' the land as spoils of battle. She was of course fighting them because she was the new rightful owner, but she knew she was on the losing end. The filthy Englishmen said they would allow her to stay on her land as their servant; both for the fields and their own sexual pleasures."

"Oh my God that's terrible." I gasped.

"Yes; however she didn't take their offer very well. I watched her through the window as she turned around away from the men and began to sob; or so they thought. When they were distracted by her cries, she grabbed a butcher knife from the table and spun around, catching one of the men in the neck. The other soldier was so shocked that he hesitated before pulling his weapon; by the time he grabbed his sword, she was already coming at him with a deadly blow of the knife."

"Holy shit!"

Eric chuckled at my expression before continuing. "Yes she was quite the spitfire. I was very impressed by her ruthlessness. I walked in the door and she drew the fallen soldier's sword, prepared to fight me. Even after she caught on to my 'otherness' she braced herself to not go down without a fight; I was enraptured. I explained to her what I was and offered her a place at my side which she gladly accepted. She stayed with me for around 100 years before I released her and sent her to make her own way in the world."

"Wow. She does sound like your type, but it's too bad she isn't blonde."

"Yes, a pity that was. I found her looks very unique though and more desirable than many of the women I had met while in country."

"So why did you two spend so much time apart? Pam told me that she struck out on her own for a while but she always kept in close contact with you when she was away; why didn't you and Karin do the same?"

"For several reasons really. The bond that Pam and I have is closer than many maker/child bonds; we get along much better than most and she is fiercely loyal. Even though I made Karin long before Pam, our tie is stronger than it was with Karin. That's not to say that I don't love them both immensely, but there is a difference in the bond. Before I released Karin, there were some…..difficulties between us." Uh oh, I knew there was something else. I waved my hand for him to continue his story.

"You know that makers and their children often have a sexual relationship for a short while after they turn. This is because of a compulsion to connect and reinforce the bond that has been created, as well as the newborn's urge to satisfy their intense sexual needs and need to please their master." He paused to make sure I understood what he was telling me; of course I knew this because he and Bill had explained it to me before. I knew that Eric and Pam had screwed like rabbits for the first few years after she was turned before she decided she liked the softer, feminine side of sex better. It was just something that most makers and their children did.

"Right, you guys have explained it to me before. So you two had sex?"

"Yes but whereas the sexual relationship usually fades by the first few years in most cases; Karin was very….affectionate towards me for much longer than that. I would indulge her when there were not many humans around to satisfy my needs, but she continued to lust after me for much longer than normal. I didn't want to hurt her, so I tried to entice her with other human men I thought she would like. It worked sometimes, but she never stopped trying to seduce me. Even the men she would choose herself would usually be tall and blonde; as if she were trying to replace me when I would deny her."

"So she went all fatal attraction on you?" He quirked his eyebrow, obviously not understanding the reference. "She was obsessed with you?" I clarified.

"Yes. After trying to help her move on in her own way for so long, I decided that I had to release her for her own good. I wanted her to have her own life and experience everything the world had to offer; I couldn't be her constant companion. It hurt me very much to send her away because I loved her, but I did what I thought was right for her. It hurt her very much to say the least. For the first 70 years after I released her, she would go off on her own for short periods of time but then come back and try for my affections again. The last time I rejected her, she left for about 20 years; when she returned I had made Pam about a decade before. She was hurt and jealous and though I tried to assure her of my eternal love for her as her master; it wasn't what she wanted to hear. She left for South America and I haven't seen her since until tonight. I have communicated with her telepathically a few times over the years, but this is the first time she has returned to my side since Pam was a newborn. Pam cares for her because of our connection, but she really doesn't even know her."

I should have known that with the perfection that was Eric's family that there had to be a dysfunctional link somewhere; that one crazy cousin that nobody claims and apparently Karin was it. I couldn't really blame her for the attraction, I mean I have a compulsion to screw Eric constantly and he's not my maker. When you're a Norse pillar of perfection, you're bound to wind up with stalkers; just usually not your children.

"So, do you think she's gotten over this infatuation? Should I be worried about anything?"

He tilted my chin up to look him in his eyes and pulled me tighter against him. "You have no reason to worry lover. So far she seems much different than the last time I saw her and if she does try to renew her sexual interest in me then I will set her straight. Child or not, you are my bonded and I will not disrespect you in such a way."

"I know you won't Eric, I trust you. I just don't want her to be hurt in the process either."

"Let's just see how things go and figure it out from there. Hopefully there is no reason to worry at all and if there is, then I will handle it. She is very dear to me and I am glad to see her again, but I will not let anyone ruin what we have."

I nodded against his chest and kissed the marble skin over his heart. "I'm not worried; I know you're a good man. Don't worry about me, I want you to spend time with her and I'm going to do everything I can to befriend her. She's a part of you, so she's important to me too. Come on you've got to get to sleep; the sun is already up by now and I'm exhausted."

With a final kiss, I scooted down in the bed and turned my body into Eric's protective frame. He tucked us in and wrapped his arm around me before we both let sleep pull us under.


	26. It's A Girl!

The next few days passed with much needed calm and quiet. There were no more royal balls, coronations, or brown nosing vampires crowding Eric so I was actually able to get some quality time in with my vampire. The only thing that we had to deal with at the moment was all the construction going on near Eric's house. It hadn't occurred to me when he accepted the throne that there would be some security adjustments in our lives.

The day after the coronation, Eric had called his real estate agent and purchased the remaining forty acres of land surrounding his house. Alcide and his company were hired to make some improvements to the property; including a small parking lot, a guest house, and some top secret project down near the lake. I tried using my feminine wiles to bribe Eric into telling me what it was, but he said I would just have to wait and see. The guest house would be for the new security guards to stay in while they were on rotation. There were twelve guards in total with six vampires for nighttime security and the daytime guards consisted of four Weres and two Werelions. Right now while there were no tangible threats to our safety, the guards would take turns splitting the days on a three day rotation. There would be three guards during the day for three days, and then they would be off for three days while the others took over. The vampires split their schedule the same way for nights.

Since I had no interest in moving to New Orleans, Eric was also in the process of trying to sell Sophie Ann's compound. Two more construction crews had been hired to renovate an old, large antebellum plantation that Eric purchased for his 'palace'. It was a beautiful pale yellow plantation home with ten bedrooms and five bathrooms. There was a huge porch all the way across the front of the home and a large balcony for the second floor. The lawn was immaculately landscaped with flowers, neat hedges, and a few ancient magnolia trees.

The compound was two stories tall and the construction crew was working on an underground level that would have safe places as well as a miniature vamp jail with silver bars and other interesting features that could control a rogue vampire. The main living area on the first floor was being converted to a throne room and there would be improvements on the dining room as well as a soundproof library where sensitive matters could be discussed in private.

I had been by the plantation one day to check out the progress and drop off some papers to Eric's contractor and was shocked by all the people working on the house. There were obviously several construction crews as well as a security company and tons of other people who just seemed to look busy. Eric even had the foresight to hire Amelia to come cast a few protection spells once the work was finished. She said she would be happy to do it for a friend, but certainly didn't refuse when Eric handed her a check for $15,000. Things were moving along quickly, which I was grateful for because the sooner Eric could get his compound established in Shreveport; he would no longer have to travel back and forth to New Orleans to hold court.

On the fourth night after Karin arrived; I invited her, Eric, Godric, and Pam to the farmhouse for a get together. Amelia and I had spent the day making a blood sorbet for the vamps and chicken salad for ourselves. About an hour after sunset, Pam and Godric arrived first. We were already down at the pool setting everything up when I felt the strange little tingle that signaled Godric was near.

"We're down here." I yelled over the sound of Johnny Cash playing on the radio.

Pam and Godric were standing before me in a flash. "You know Sookie; we could smell our favorite little Faery long before you told us where you were." Pam teased.

"Well I guess that's true, but it's just habit. Not everyone has the nose of a bloodhound Pam."

"I assure you my senses are far superior to that of a dirty dog." She answered as if the notion of her being similar to an animal was offensive.

Just by looking at Pam, you would never guess that she's a deadly killing machine. Right now she was wearing a teal bikini with a sheer, floral tunic over top and white sandals with a small heel. She looked like a very fashionable Mom that should be lounging by the country club pool instead of the two centuries old vampire that could drain you in seconds.

"How are you this evening my dear?" Godric asked.

"I'm great, I'm glad you guys could make it on such short notice!" I said stepping in to give him a hug.

"Amelia you look lovely as always." He said greeting my roommate. It didn't escape my notice that Godric's fangs had run down at the sight of Amelia in her pink bikini.

"Thanks; you look hot too!" She said like a giggly schoolgirl.

It was true that Godric was very attractive; it was just hard to think of Eric as his 'son' when they were so different. Whereas Eric is tall, blonde, blue eyes, and built like the Viking warrior he was; Godric is about my height, soft brown hair, chocolate eyes, and well sculpted muscles on a smaller frame. Pam actually looked like she could be Eric's biological child if they didn't look so close in age, and Karin was for lack of a better word; the redheaded stepchild. Even with their different looks though, they sure as hell made one beautiful; albeit scary family.

"Amelia and I made a special treat for you guys for later, but would you like a blood to start with?" I asked my fanged guests.

Pam accepted a warm True Blood, but Godric just smiled and said he would have some later. I noticed Amelia's wink at him, but decided to let her think no one had seen it.

"Eric and Karin should be here soon. He said he had some business to take care of first." I said.

For the next hour, the four of us swam and talked about everything going on with the Louisiana vamps since Eric had taken over. So far the consensus was very positive about Eric being the new King. He was old and a fierce warrior, so everyone had a healthy dose of fear of him; but more importantly they wanted to serve him because he had always been a fair and just Sheriff. He had many vampires who would willingly take up arms to defend him because they respected him as their leader.

"He is unlike most monarchs, which makes him more desirable. His first act as King was to lower the tax that all vampires in Louisiana must pay into the Kingdom and put 90% of that money into a fund that will only be used for garnering more tourists back to Louisiana. The only part of the money that he will use is to pay for the general upkeep of his court. He will not keep any of the money for his personal use. This alone is unheard of and makes vampires respect him even more." Pam enlightened us.

It made me very happy to know what Eric had done. I always knew he was a good man no matter what kind of unsavory things he had to do sometimes, but it was nice that everyone else would know as well. He certainly didn't need the money in any way as he was already extremely wealthy, so it was nice to know that he really was trying to make Louisiana into a prospering state for both vampires and humans.

As if talking about him had summoned him, Eric pulled up in the driveway and made his way across the yard. Right before he reached the gate, I used my mind to open it for him and he smiled as he walked up to me. He always loved it when I used my powers; to a vampire it's just natural to use any magical abilities at your disposal to show off. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his scent. It was manly and sensual and it had become a habit to smell him the way he had always done to me. Maybe it was my Supernatural side kicking in, or perhaps it was just a woman in love.

"Good evening dearest. You look incredibly sexy in that bikini." He purred with a toothy grin. He had been here for ten seconds and I could already feel my temperature rising.

"Thanks babe. Did you take care of whatever it was you had to do?"

"Yes and no. I actually need to talk to you about that; will you walk with me?"

"Sure. Let's go in the kitchen and grab the rest of the stuff." We walked hand in hand back to the house. I poked at the bond but could only feel contentment and a little lust from him, so apparently he didn't have anything too bad to tell me. We took seats at the kitchen table to talk, as we had done so many times before.

"Tonight I had a meeting with a newborn vampire from Monroe. She was taken by a vampire one evening on her way back to her sorority house and turned against her will."

"Oh my God that's awful."

"She is only two months old and apparently her Maker was killed several days ago. She said he would leave her at the house every night while he went off and fed, and she was never allowed to go with him. Several nights ago while he was gone, she said she had an overwhelming pain that caused her to vomit blood and then she couldn't feel her Maker's presence anymore. She didn't come out of the house for a few days because she didn't know what was going on. She wasn't sure if he was finally dead or if he was just trying to trap her into disobeying him so he could punish her."

"That's sick. Is he dead?"

"Yes. After doing some checking, I spoke with my Sheriff Arla in Area 2; apparently a vampire in her area had already reported the death to her. He said that the girl's maker; Roberto was visiting his nest and attacked his human pet. After reprimanding him, Roberto fought back and lost. Arla had no idea he had a child because he had not yet registered her through the proper channels. The girl had stayed in the house alone until last night; she hadn't fed since he left that night and her hunger finally prompted her to leave. Unfortunately in her starved condition; she accidentally drained a man."

"Oh gosh. That's terrible Eric, but it sounds like she didn't know any better. Didn't her sleaze bag maker teach her to feed properly?"

"No he didn't. In fact, he hasn't taught her anything. She has no knowledge of vampire ways nor did she know anything about the hierarchy. Lucky for her, Thalia was visiting a friend nearby and found the girl crying over the human's lifeless body in an alley. She disposed of him before taking Harper to shelter for the dawn and brought her to me this evening."

"Ok, so what's going to happen to her? Are you going to punish her?" I asked nervously. I certainly didn't agree with humans being killed for no reason, but I genuinely felt bad for this young vampire who had been thrust into this life that she knew nothing about. I knew from what Eric had told me before that newborn vamps require a lot of blood and they don't yet have control over their instincts. That's why it's so important to have a good Master to teach the newborn everything they need to know.

"No I will not punish her. She is a brand new vampire and she was stuck with a maker who didn't try to teach her the first thing about her nature. It seems as though this rogue vampire was just keeping her around for a toy as he had not followed protocol for creating a vampire. If he had not already met the true death, I would show him no mercy for his actions." I nodded because as cold as it might sound, I completely agreed with him.

"So what now? Where will she go?" I asked.

"Since her maker did not teach her the first thing, she might as well have just risen tonight as far as her abilities go. She will need a new Master to teach her and guide her for several years to come. I have offered to let her stay in Area 5 and find her a new Master who will not harm her as her maker did. In exchange for staying in the area, all I have asked is that she obeys her new Master and does not do anything else that could be bad for the rest of us."

"That sounds fair. Do you know who you're going to place her with?"

"Yes I do. I've thought about it and I think Bill would be perfect for the job."

"Bill Compton? Why would you choose him when you don't even like him?"

"It doesn't matter what my personal feelings are. Bill is a mainstreamer who can teach the girl how to be a civilized vampire. He has never made a child because he feels that he cannot burden someone with this life. As far as vampires go, he is smart and strong for his age; but he also retains some of his human emotions and qualities. Harper is very much the same; she still thinks like a human for the most part. She has feelings and emotions and she hasn't been hardened by a long life of cruelty. I believe this is exactly what she needs and that it could be beneficial to them both."

"What if he doesn't want her?"

"I am King and it is my decision. I'm sure he will balk at the idea at first, but regardless he will do it. Once he becomes comfortable with her, I believe the arrangement will benefit him as much as her. You know that he is a loner and does not have the love of a child or a mate, and that is mainly because he has never truly accepted his own nature. I believe by teaching the girl to be a 'good' vampire that it may be therapeutic for him. Also, do you really want him to be hung up pining for you forever, while he broods alone in his house?"

"Of course not. I know things didn't work out with me and him, but he's my friend and I want him to find happiness like we have." I said as I took his hand and kissed his open palm.

"He is not my favorite person, but it will be beneficial to him if he moves on. He needs someone to care for and I think this will be good for him."

I shook my head because I knew he was right. Bill did need someone to care for and that would care for him. It might not be romantic love like we had, but if Harper and Bill could even come close to what Eric and Pam have; it would be a wonderful thing for them both. I did want Bill to be happy and have someone in his life and maybe this was the perfect opportunity for him. He could teach her to be a vampire without losing her humanity; something that was important to him.

"Have you told him yet?" I asked.

"No. She is with Karin right now at Fangtasia, waiting on word from me. I was actually hoping that you might talk to Bill."

"Me? Why would you want me to tell him? You're the big boss."

"Yes I am his King, but he loves you and he listens to you. If you explain to him that you think this would be a good thing for the both of them, I think he will accept it. If not, then I will punish him but I don't think it will come to that. You have a way of getting people to see your side of things." He smirked at me.

"Alright fine. Why don't we invite him over and you can tell Karin to head this way with Harper."

"Very well. Go talk to Bill and I'll meet you back down at the pool in a few minutes."

Eric stepped outside and I went upstairs to grab some shorts and a tank top to put over my swimsuit. Walking through the cemetery to Bill's house, I wondered how he would take the news that he was now a father. Maybe I should have brought him some of those cigars with pink foil that say 'It's A Girl!'

I took a deep breath trying to arrange my thoughts and lifted my hand to knock on the door. Almost immediately Bill opened the door and looked surprised to see me.

"Hey Bill! Can I come in?"

"Of course Sookie. To what do I owe the pleasure this evening?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you about something really important and I hope you'll hear me out and listen to what I have to say before you say anything."

He looked at me quizzically for a moment, but nodded and sat down beside me on the sofa.

"So here's the thing; there's a baby vamp named Harper in the area and her maker was a total douche bag and now he's _finally_ dead. He kidnapped her and used her for a play thing for the past two months that she's been vampire and now she's all alone. She accidentally drained someone because she was starving and didn't know how to control herself and now she's in Eric's care. She was turned against her will and she isn't your typical vampire; she's very humanlike. She's kind and sweet and still very much in touch with her humanity. He and I both thought that you would make a great Master for her. What do you think?" It all came out in about two breaths, but I knew Bill got the jist of it.

"You and Eric want me to take on an orphaned vampire? Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a good man Bill Compton. Yes you're a vampire, but you're not cruel and miserable. You're good at mainstreaming, you're smart, a good fighter, and most importantly you would teach her to be a great vampire."

Bill suddenly stood from the couch and start pacing the room. I couldn't read vampire minds, but if I had to guess; I'd say Bill had a whole lot going on right now.

"Sookie I have never had the desire to be a maker. As you well know, my maker was a sadistic, cruel, mistress who took me away from everything I held dear in life. I have never felt the call to turn another human into a creature of the night. I have not made a child because I do not wish to be anyone's Master. Why the hell would Eric send you to tell me this anyways? Mr. High and Mighty King can't tell me himself?" I tried to keep my calm because I knew Bill wasn't really angry with me but rather his conflicted emotions about his own vampiric existence.

"Yes Bill, your King could have summoned you and ordered you to take her and there would be nothing you could do about it. Instead he sent me; your friend, to talk to you about this and give you the choice to do something great. I know you were turned against your will, and I know that Lorena was a miserable bitch. I have done things in life that I regret, but freeing you from her is not something I have ever regretted. But Bill, you aren't Lorena; you aren't cruel or sadistic. You are still a good man and a damn good vampire. Harper didn't ask to be what she is either; but it's done now and there's no way to change that. What can be changed is how she spends her afterlife; you can teach her and shape her into a vampire that you can be proud of or you can throw her off to be someone else's responsibility and hope for the best. You were a father once Bill and right now she needs guidance and compassion. She needs to learn how to be a great vampire without losing herself. I know you can do that for her." I truly believed every word I was telling him. I knew if anyone could be trusted to raise a good vampire, it was Bill. Truthfully he really didn't have a choice in the matter if Eric put his foot down, but I wanted him to believe he did so he could make the choice to take her on his own.

Bill had stopped pacing and was sitting across the room from me in a chair. His chin was resting on his hand and the small gesture made him look shockingly human. I knew he needed to think it over and I would give him his time.

"I'm going back over to my house now. Harper will be there in half an hour and I want to make her feel at home. After you decide what you're going to do, come on over and hang out with us." I left him there with his thoughts and headed back to my house.

I stepped back through the gate and went to sit down beside Eric. He had changed out of his usual business suit and was sitting back on a chaise lounge in just a pair of swim trunks. I needed to talk to him about something, but seeing his long legs stretched out and his big biceps flexed as his hands were behind his head was making it a little hard to remember what I was thinking. Instead I just crawled up between his legs and layed on his chest, like a large blonde cat seeking attention. I could feel his amusement through the bond as he looked at me.

"Don't get me wrong lover I am happy to see you too, but don't you need to tell me something?"

"Huh?" I asked dreamily. "Oh yeah! I talked to Bill and like you guessed, he's conflicted because he never wanted to be anyone's Master or maker and that's why he hasn't made his own vampire…blah blah blah…he's thinking it over and he'll be over here in a little while to let us know."

"To let us know? Dear one it isn't really his choice."

"I know that but I made it sound like he had a say in it because I want him to choose her."

"You sneaky little Faery. Perhaps you have been spending too much time around vampires and our crafty mind games."

"I learned from the best." I said smiling at him. I had done my part and now it was up to Bill what happened next.

Amelia and Godric were splashing around in the pool while Pam lay lounging in another chaise a few feet from Eric.

"Of course bleeding heart Bill would have a problem with being a maker; even a fake one. He never did possess that certain joie de vivre it takes to be a great vampire." Pam snarked.

"Give him a break Pam, not everyone had a maker as cool as yours." I replied.

"That's true Sookie, but at least you solved that problem for him."

"True and I would do it again in a heartbeat. That cunt got what was coming to her."

"Spoken like a true warrior." Eric said proudly.

Godric chuckled and said "I guess I'm glad you are fond of me child. I would have to sleep with one eye open."

"You know it! That's me; Sookie the vampire slayer."

"More like Sookie the vampire tamer!" Amelia laughed.

Pam and Godric nodded in agreement while Eric just growled at her. For once the night seemed to actually be moving slow as we laughed and played. For a few hours, there was no King Eric and his second Pamela and all the drama that politics brings; it was just me and my boyfriend and family having a good time.

Almost an hour later, Eric stopped while we were swimming and looked at me. "Karin is here."

If Karin was here, that meant that Harper was here too. I pulled myself out of the pool and dried quickly while Eric did the same. I asked Amelia to go grab some more warm bloods while I pulled the blood sorbet out of the cooler and began scooping it into small bowls.

Eric walked up to me and smiled. "You are always the perfect hostess my love. I need you to do something for me though. Can you completely shield your scent?"

"I think so." I did as Claudine had showed me and sure enough I completely blocked my Fae side.

"Though your scent is not enough to affect myself or Pam; I don't want to take any chances with a newborn that is unaccustomed to your delicious scent."

That was good thinking on his part; I didn't want to have to zap the poor girl the first night I met her. Karin came through the gate and Eric walked up to her. I watched as a beautiful blonde girl stepped up to them and bowed to Eric. I guess Karin had spent her babysitting time teaching Karin the proper protocol for addressing different vampires. I walked over to stand beside Eric and greet our new guests.

"Hey Karin, nice to see you. This must be Harper." I said cheerfully while slightly nodding my head at her.

"It is nice to see you as well Sookie, and yes this is Harper Devins." Karin replied.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Are you Sookie?" She asked. She really was a striking young girl; she had shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes like mine, and a lean fit body. Her voice had the expected southern twang of a local girl, and she looked like your typical cheerleader type. I could see so much of myself in her; the girl I was two years ago. She was young, pretty, well mannered, and painfully naïve about the world around her.

"Yes that's me. I'm King Northman's bonded and this is my home. I'm glad you could come, it's nice to meet you." I could feel Eric's approval through the bond. He was glad I referred to him as King in front of her since she really would need to learn the ins and outs of the vampire world quickly. "If you're hungry, I've got some warm True Bloods over here and my roommate and I made some blood sorbet today if you'd like some."

"Blood sorbet? I didn't know there was such a thing." She answered timidly.

"I didn't either until recently so I don't know if you guys will like it or not!" I said. "Well come on everybody, let's sit down and get acquainted."

Everyone went to take their seats around the picnic table while I grabbed the tray of bowls and bottles of blood. I stuck some spoons and napkins on the tray and carried it to the table. Amelia grabbed the bowls of chicken salad and watermelon for us and we sat down. I took the opportunity to introduce everyone to Harper and let them tell her how they were all related. As Amelia was talking to our newest vamp, I sensed a void just outside the fence; Bill was here but he wasn't coming in yet. I looked at Eric who just gave me a little wink; he obviously could sense Bill as well. After another minute, Bill finally came in and walked up to the table.

"Hey Bill, I'm so glad you came." I said standing up from my seat.

"Thank you for the invite Sookie." He then turned and bowed to Eric. "Your Majesty." Eric inclined his head and went back to eating his sorbet. I guess it really had turned out good.

I looked at Harper and said; "Harper this is my neighbor and good friend; Bill Compton." Since she still wasn't clear on protocol, she stood and bowed her head to him.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Compton." She said in her sweet southern drawl. When she flashed her smile, I figured Bill was probably a goner.

"It is nice to meet you as well Harper. You can call me Bill."

They sat down and I put a bowl of sorbet in front of Bill and smiled brightly at him. He looked as if I had handed him a cheeseburger before he realized all the other vampires were eating it. He slowly put some to his nose and gently sniffed it before tasting it.

"What do you think? Me and Sook made it today." Amelia chimed in.

"It's a little odd to have chilled blood, but it's actually pretty good." He said.

I realized immediately that I had been thoughtless when serving our dinner. Although the older vampires didn't look twice at regular food, I realized Harper had barely touched her blood and was eyeballing my chicken salad. I knew from a previous conversation with Eric that young vampires often miss food as much as they do the sun and here I was eating right in front of her. I set my fork down on my plate and looked at Amelia.

"Amelia I'm full, do you think you could take care of the food please?" I said and barely nodded towards Harper.

It took her a few seconds to catch on but then I saw the flash of recognition in her eyes. "Sure!" She snapped her fingers and all the human food disappeared from the table and hopefully landed in my kitchen. I heard Harper gasp beside me and looked to find her eyes as wide as saucers. Of course she didn't know Amelia was a witch; she had just entered the Supernatural world and she didn't know anything about it yet. I looked at Bill who finally spoke up.

"She is a witch." He said gesturing to Amelia.

"A witch? Like a real witch with spells and stuff? How is that even possible?" She asked surprised.

"Yes she is an actual witch. It means that instead of being a Supernatural creature; one who is genetically a magical creature, she was born with the gift of intuition and learned to harvest her magical powers."

"That's amazing!" She said.

"Thanks!" Amelia beamed.

"There are so many things you will learn about the world that you did not know as a human." Bill said. She didn't know it yet, but Bill was going to be the one to teach her about all those things.

After a few more minutes of the vamps eating and Amelia and I chatting with Harper, Eric gave Bill one of his thoughtful looks before going to jump in the pool. Godric and Amelia jumped in after him while Pam went to the cabana to pull out her favorite float. I turned to Harper and told her to follow me inside to get a swimsuit. She looked at Karin nervously, who in turn smiled and nodded her head that it was fine.

When I walked in the back door, I was about to invite her in before I noticed that she looked confused as to why she couldn't walk through the door.

"I have to invite you in; a vampire can't enter a human-owned home without an invitation."

"Oh, sorry I didn't know." She looked embarrassed and it made me want to stake her maker if he wasn't already dead. What a shitty excuse for a vampire he must have been.

"It's alright; you're going to learn everything real quick. Now, Harper won't you please come in?" I said in my sweetest twang.

I looked through my swimsuit drawer and threw several out on the bed for her to choose from.

"I'll be downstairs, just come on out when you're ready."

Soon after, she came downstairs in my hot pink and sequined bikini. Besides her paler color and slightly smaller boobs, she looked almost the same in it as I did.

"You look great! Come on let's go." We walked back out to the pool and jumped in to join in on the chicken fight going on. Godric was holding Amelia as Eric held Pam and they were going at it. I could see Amelia fighting dirty with little shockwaves that would throw Pam off balance, but Pam was still getting the better of her. Harper was watching them and smiling; it was a beautiful and relaxed smile and one I bet she hadn't worn in a while.

"Come on let's show them how it's done!" I said and dipped under the water to hoist her up on my shoulders. She actually squealed when I popped us up out of the water.

"Oh my God are you sure you can hold me? I'm gonna hurt you!" She squealed.

"Honey you're a vampire, not a lead weight. Now I'm warning you that Pam is tough as nails and Amelia is a cheater, so you better be ready to hold your own!"

"Hey I'm not a cheater! I'm just using my gifts the way Pam uses her gift of HE-man strength!" Amelia yelled indignantly.

"Oh this should be good!" Pam snickered.

"Harper; show no mercy!" I yelled and lunged her forward to join in the fight.

The three of them were pushing and grabbing, yelling and laughing like lunatics. It was the most fun I had in a long time and it was nice to see Harper finally relax and have some fun. I couldn't imagine what she had been through in the last two months but seeing the way her face lit up; I had no doubt that Bill could turn things around for her.

After a few more rounds of fighting and Pam winning every match; we all climbed out and toweled off. Amelia and Godric snuck off to the house for what I presume was dinnertime while Pam sat beside Eric; staring at Harper's towel jealously as she dried off.

"If he doesn't want her, I'll take her." Pam purred.

"Sorry my child but you have enough on your plate as it is." He replied.

"Must you always spoil my fun?"

He looked at her and I knew they were doing their silent communication. She sauntered off and went to grab Karin who was talking to Bill.

"Come sister, let's chat." She said strolling off with Karin in tow.

Eric motioned for me to follow him and walked towards Bill. "Harper please join us."

Poor girl, the smile fell from her lips and she walked nervously over to join our little meeting with Bill. We sat down and immediately Eric was in charge.

"Harper I have given a great deal of thought to your situation since I spoke with you earlier this evening. I have decided that Bill will be your new Master. He is a good man as well as a formidable vampire. He will teach you in the ways of our kind and show you how to mainstream as he does. He is also my area investigator, so he has proven himself a worthy subject and he will be able to care for you financially."

She looked nervous and fidgety which is not something vampires do.

"I feel like such a burden. You all have been real nice to me, but I don't deserve it. I killed someone for God's sake! I'm a monster!" She cried with the agony she had held inside for the past few months and I couldn't stop the tears that welled up in my eyes.

Instinctually I put my hands over top of hers and tried to soothe her. "You are not a monster! Every new vampire has to learn to feed and your shitty maker didn't bother to teach you. You were starving and it was an accident; it won't happen again. Bill is going to teach you everything you need to know and you won't have to worry about hurting anyone again."

Eric and Bill were watching the exchange with an uncomfortable look. Freaking vampires could skin a person alive and not bat an eye, but a few tears and they want to run for the hills. Bill seemed to snap out of it first and surprisingly he put his hand over her free one and spoke to her.

"Harper, you are not a burden. It is not your fault for what happened to you. If you will allow me, I would like to be your mentor. I live just across the cemetery from here and you will be quite safe with me. It would be my honor to teach you the ways of our kind and I will never violate your trust….in any capacity."

I shuddered at the underlying meaning in his speech. He was subtly trying to tell her that he would never force himself on her sexually, as many Makers did with their children.

"He really is one of the good ones, you can trust him." I said smiling at her. "Plus if you stay with Bill, you'll be really close by to hang out with me and Amelia."

"Really? I'd like that. Thank you for everything you've done for me tonight Sookie."

"Aww it was nothing! Just some sorbet and a bikini."

"No, thank you for making me feel again; for not treating me like a freak or an outcast." She said.

I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I burst into tears. I felt Eric sending me calm and love and I was able to suppress the sadness that was creeping up in me. I knew better than anyone what it felt like to be an outcast; it was the story of my life. Before I met Supes, it was almost impossible for me to find someone to accept me just the way I was.

"You are not a freak; you are just as nature intended you to be. Once you learn to control your instincts, I think you may find that you enjoy being a vampire." Eric was saying to her.

"Well if you're sure you don't mind, then I would like to stay with you." She said to Bill. He nodded his head that it was fine.

"Bill will be taking you to his house to show you around and get you settled before dawn. Write down the address of the house where you were staying and I'll send someone to pick up your things tomorrow during the day and deliver them to you tomorrow night." She nodded and he continued in a more serious tone. "I do not blame you for your incident last night, but it is vital that you remain with Bill. He is now your Master and you will need to do as he says, just as you would your maker. As he mentioned, he will not ever violate you but you know that you must exchange blood with him?"

"Why do I need to do that?"

"As he is not the one who made you, you have no ties to him. Now that the bond with your maker has been severed, you will need to create a blood bond with Bill to ensure that he can track you and that you will hear his call. It will help him to feel your emotions so he can help you understand them and work through them. Creating a blood bond will also help the two of you to feel more connected; more like a maker/child."

She thought it over for a minute before agreeing. "I understand."

Before they left, I gave her my number and told her that I was always just a phone call or short walk away. Pam and Karin showed up simultaneously, so I figured Eric had called his children to him. They said their goodbyes and left; with Karin going to stay at Pam's house. My Viking carried me inside and set me down in the shower. He pulled slowly at my strings and watched in amusement as I was very quickly naked.

"I like these swimsuits; I don't even have to rip them to get them off quickly." He said leering at me.

"Yeah if only all my clothes included easy break-aways; life would be much easier for the Viking."

"I'm glad you see things my way dear."

We spent the next hour running out the hot water and alternating between cleanliness and filthiness. In fact, it was hard to decide which I liked more.

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**_Ok so I only have about two more chapters left of this story and I started worrying that when I go on to the new story that I might lose some of my readers. To me it seems like a completely new adventure, so I've been planning on making it a separate story but I don't want to lose anyone! Please drop me a line and let me know if I should stick with the original plan to make it a new story! Thanks_**


	27. Mud Bogs & Tree Frogs

_**I know I'm a terrible person because it took me two weeks to get this chapter up when I usually update every few days! Between going on vacation and getting my nerves in a bundle over trying to get it right, it just wasn't conducive to writing! Anyways this is the last chapter for Blood On The Bayou and I want to thank you guys so much for reading and sticking with me. The third installation in this series will be out very soon and I hope you all will follow me. Enjoy!**_

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_3 weeks later (4__th__ of July) …._

Walking across the front porch of my old farmhouse, I paused to let the sunshine warm my skin while I took a big breath of fresh air. The torturous Louisiana heat was reigning it's fury on us this hot July day but I still basked in the joy I felt when I was outdoors. I had always been a child of the sun but since becoming more Fae, I found that I felt more powerful and in my element when I was in tune with nature.

I smiled at the simple pleasure of a sunny day while I walked over and got into my car. Along with several changes Eric had made in the last month, one of them was buying me a new car. When my Godfather Desmond and his niece Diantha had showed up unexpectedly one morning, I figured they were just stopping by for a visit. Turns out that my generous Viking had decided my Lexus was too small for running errands and I should be upgraded to something a little bigger; like the cherry red Range Rover that I was now sitting in.

Obviously arguing with him that I was perfectly happy with my little sports car did me no good as he retaliated that now I would have no problem loading up whatever supplies and donations I wanted to take to the children's hospital. A vampire using my good nature to manipulate me into taking his gift, imagine that. The night I looked up the value of my new car with all the additional security features and amenities Eric had added, I almost blew a gasket. Of course my vampire just countered that since the Lexus was paid in full, he had been able to trade it in for a substantial down payment on the Range. As unconvincing as his argument was, I had eventually just thanked him and took the car.

Eric had always tried giving me nice gifts which I usually felt very uncomfortable accepting, but since he had become King he was able to use the excuse that as his companion, I had a certain look to uphold. That discussion had burned my britches a bit, but in reality I understood that he did have a point. Little did he know that I planned on giving him a taste of his own medicine with a bit of a twist on this very night. The initial investments that Eric helped me set up when I first came into my inheritance were doing extremely well and to put it politely; money was no longer a source of worry for me.

With that in mind, I made the plans for tonight just a little over a week ago and I was the only one who knew the details. I couldn't wait to see the look on my vampire's faces when we arrived at our destination. Before my plans for tonight could be revealed though, I still had several daytime hours to fill. First on the list was lunch at Merlotte's to catch up with everyone, which was where I was heading to now.

Not surprisingly the bar was not full today. In the many years that I waitressed, I noticed that most summer holidays were really slow for the restaurant business as most people were either out of town or cooking out at home. It was perfect timing for us though so Sam could join us for lunch and not have to worry about bartending. I walked in and immediately recognized Tara sitting at the bar talking to Sam. It was still a little odd to think of the two of them as a couple, but looking at Sam's face I knew this was the happiest I had ever seen him.

"Hey stranger!" I called to her as I stopped right behind her stool.

"Hey girl! You look great; it's good to see you!" She exclaimed happily before jumping up to give me a bear hug.

"It's good to see you too! Sorry I've been so busy since the coronation and haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" She motioned for me to follow her to one of the large booths against the wall where we would be sitting.

"I'm great really. I figured that tall, blonde, and dead had been keeping you up all hours of the night so you were too worn out to come out in the day!" She chided playfully.

"Well some nights, but really he's been so busy with the takeover that I haven't seen nearly as much of him as I would like to. I've been helping out a lot at Fangtasia though to help ease the load off Pam and take care of the small stuff that they don't have time to worry about."

"Well I'm sure the human staff certainly appreciates that!"

"Yeah they do. Even though the main draw of the job is the danger, sex, and biting; they're still scared of my Pammy Lamb." I said barely containing my giggles.

"I dare you to call her that to her face!" Amelia laughed as she slid in beside me.

"Oh come on, Pam is just like the fanged version of Martha Stewart." I managed to keep a straight for about five seconds before we all burst out in giggles.

The three of us gossiped for a few more minutes until Claudine and Sam joined us. My Godmother was looking even more radiant than usual with her light glow and burgeoning belly. Simultaneously all of us girls jumped out of the booth and gushed over her beautiful new figure and the little life growing inside. Once Sam was good and estrogened out, he subtly cleared his throat to snap us out of the baby haze. Holly came over and took our order for burgers and onion rings before we got back to chit chat.

"So how is everything going Claudine?" Amelia asked her.

"Wonderful. I feel great and I can't wait for her to be in my arms." She smiled with such affection in her voice.

"Her? It's a girl?" I asked her.

"Yes, I'm having a little girl. A full-blooded female Faery, it's wonderful."

Knowing how hard it was for Faeries to reproduce made Claudine's pregnancy a miracle in itself but the fact that she would be adding a female that would one day hopefully be able to reproduce more Faeries, was even more spectacular.

"I'm going to have a niece. Oh Claudine I'm so happy for you." I couldn't help the tear that escaped my eye. My whole life I had felt so alone and now it seemed like I was adding new family members every week. I was going to be an aunt; I was going to have this precious little girl in my life to love and spoil. The happiness I felt at that moment was so immense I couldn't help but push it through my bond with Eric even though he was dead for the day.

After scarfing down our food and catching up on what everyone had been up to, finally someone got around to trying to figure out my secret plans. Sam was the first one to speak up.

"So cher, are you going to give us a hint as to what we're doing tonight?" He asked.

"Let me see…no."

"Oh come on Sook, just a hint?" Tara pleaded.

"All I can say is that you should come hungry and dress comfortably; oh yeah and bring a spare set of clothes." I said as I flashed the trademark Eric smirk.

"You know I could cast a spell on you to compel you to tell me." Amelia said.

"You could, but then I would be forced to repeat some of the things I heard coming from your head recently."

She blushed for a minute before regaining her cool expression. "I was only teasing roomie."

"As was I roomie." We both laughed at the ridiculousness of our relationship. She would no more cast a spell on me than I would spill her scandalous thoughts.

"Well Sook I've got to get back to work, so I'll see you tonight ok." Sam said as he gave me a quick hug. He turned to Tara and gave her a kiss on her forehead before taking his spot behind the bar.

"You two seem very happy; it's beautiful." Claudine said.

"Thanks, we are really happy. You know, at first it just sort of started out as a lonely hearts kind of hookup, but it's grown into much more." Tara said with a dreamy look on her face.

"That's wonderful Tara. It makes me happy as a clam to see two of my closest friends in love." I said.

"In love? We haven't really come out and declared our feelings for each other." She said looking slightly embarrassed.

"Who needs words when anyone can tell by looking at the two of you that you guys are crazy about each other." Amelia said earning a coy smile from Tara.

"And what about you? You and Godric have been spending a lot of time together." Tara asked Amelia.

"I don't know. Godric is awesome; he's funny, kind, adventurous, and of course great in bed. I don't know what we're doing but I'm not in any rush to try and put a label on it; I'm just going to enjoy it for however long it lasts. Plus, nobody can hold a match to the Viking and Faery; that's the kind of love you only read about in fairy tales…no pun intended." She laughed.

Now it was my turn to blush. "Oh come on!" I said playfully. I knew that Eric and I did have something very special indeed, but I didn't want to endure being the center of attention right now.

Claudine nodded her head in agreement with Amelia. "She has a point dear. Not once in my very long life have I seen a vampire blood bond to a Faery; it's unheard of. You two are truly a unique couple."

It was a nice afternoon escape to sit around gossiping with my girlfriends and I was even more excited to see their faces tonight. After giving them all the address to meet at tonight, we went our separate ways.

It was getting late in the afternoon by the time I pulled up to Eric's house. I pulled up to the wrought iron gate and rolled down my window to say hello to the Royal Guards. Right now Quinn was manning the guard house and he stepped out when he saw me pulling up. In the few weeks that Quinn had been working for Eric, he had been given several tasks to try and find a job that suited him. As of right now, Eric decided that his fierce fighting abilities and apparent loyalty made him the perfect candidate for head of daytime security.

"Afternoon Sookie." The tiger said stepping up to my window.

"Hey Quinn, how's it going?"

"Everything is good today, nothing to report."

"That's good to hear. Listen, if you guys don't have any plans for tonight I'd like to invite you all to a little get together I'm throwing. I can't really give you the details because it's a surprise for everyone, but I can guarantee you it's going to be fun and there's going to be tons of good food!"

He gave me a mischievous smile before answering. "I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I might take you up on that. Thanks."

"No problem. Aiden; Brody I'd love for you guys to come too." I said as the other Were guards walked up. In the last few weeks I had grown pretty fond of the two daytime guards and I knew that if anyone would appreciate tonight's festivities it would be wolves.

"Thanks Sookie, we might just do that." Aiden answered for the both of them. Aiden was a real man's man. He was only about 2 inches shorter than Eric and just about as muscular. He had sandy blonde hair, a light scruffy beard and exuded that sex appeal that ruggedly handsome Weres seem to have. His cousin Brody was very similar except he had darker hair and eyes; think of Chris and Liam Hemsworth. I gave them directions and told them to be there at first dark.

There was about 3 hours until sunset and I had a bag to pack before Eric rose for the evening, so I set about surprising my vampire. I took a duffle bag and threw in a pair of jeans and a Fangtasia t-shirt for Eric as well as spare shorts and tank top for myself. Out of the bathroom I packed shampoo and body wash for the both of us and a few towels and we were set.

Looking at my honey lying in the bed was too tempting to resist, so I threw off my clothes and crawled into bed with him for a quick nap. I stroked his handsome face and closed my eyes contentedly. The next thing I knew, Eric was waking me up with roaming hands and cool kisses down my neck. My body responded without any conscious thought on my part as I arched into him and let out a little moan. Before he could get too far my brain finally snapped back into reality.

Pushing away from him, I sat up in bed. "Oh honey no, we can't…..ahh…..we're going to be late, we really…..oohh….can't do this right now."

"Your mouth says one thing but your body is saying another" He said while trying to pull me back against him.

"That's true, but listen to my mouth this time." Even as I said the words, I still wanted to just lay there and let him ravage me, but I knew we would never make it out of here on time.

"Sookie, you wound me. Won't you at least let me taste your delicious honey…"

"Eric!" I interrupted. "As much as I would love for you to, we really have to go now or everyone will be waiting on us. Since this is my surprise, I kinda have to be there first."

"Fine." He said dryly and jumped off the bed. Even though it was what I wanted him to do, it was still a little jarring when he just jumped away from me.

I stood up and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Maybe we can compromise. How about I give you a little snack…..but no sex."

Instead of waiting for an answer, I brushed my hair away from my neck and tilted my head. He looked right in my eyes as he let his fangs click into place which did bad things for my self-control. He licked my neck a few more times than necessary before sinking his fangs into me. I gasped at the sudden pleasure but tried to keep myself from becoming too aroused. Through the bond I could feel Eric's amusement before he sent me waves of calm to help me stick to my plan of leaving the bedroom in the next ten minutes.

"Thanks" I whispered when he retracted his fangs.

"Of course lover. Now, what do you have planned for tonight?"

"Oh I can't tell you that or it would ruin the surprise! Come on, we have to go. I've already got our things ready."

I pointed to the shorts and t-shirt I had set out for Eric to wear and then slipped on some denim daisy dukes, a blue cotton tank top, and my tan cowgirl boots. Eric looked me over with a hungry stare, but I just pushed him towards the door.

I knew he could feel the excitement and happiness in me and it seemed to amuse him greatly. Eric called the guards and told them to be ready to leave in five minutes before hanging up and grabbing our bag.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go my mysterious little Faery." Eric said as he led us upstairs.

We left the house and I jumped into the driver side of my car while Eric told the guards to follow us. I couldn't help but snicker at what the vampire Royal guards would think when we reached our destination.

"What's so funny?" Eric asked eyeing me suspiciously.

"Oh nothing; just wondering what your guards will think of their 4th of July plans."

"It is their job to guard us Sookie, it really doesn't matter the setting."

"I know that Eric but don't you think they are entitled to a little fun every now and then? Especially if the rest of us are going to be enjoying the holiday."

"Fun is for when they are off the clock Sookie. Perhaps if you told me what kind of fun we will be having tonight, I could decide if they will be allowed to participate."

"Nice try buddy but you're not getting any info out of me."

"Very well my cruel mistress. On another note, what were you doing today that had you bursting at the seams with joy? I felt it pulsing through me even during my rest."

I smiled thinking about my little niece I would be meeting soon. "Claudine is having a girl Eric. It's going to be like having a little niece; I'm so excited."

"A girl? I imagine the Prince is very pleased with this news. You know that most of the fertility problems your people have experienced are associated with the females that have spent a large amount of time in the human realm. They believe the exposure to so much iron caused many of the problems; with new female Faeries it is now possible to guard themselves against iron exposure. She will have a much higher chance of being able to produce offspring."

I shook my head in understanding. "I know, it's wonderful. Claudine is so happy. I'm really happy too; I can't wait to dress her up and spoil her rotten!"

As Eric smiled at me I could feel him gently testing the bond to see if there were any underlying feelings coming from me, but all I truly felt was happiness. I had long since accepted that babies were not in my future but I was overjoyed that I would still have the opportunity to play with nieces and hopefully nephews one day. I took his hand and pulsed my light into his palm, earning a sexy grin and growl from my vampire.

"Keep that up and I'll pull this car over and sink my cock and fangs into you little one." He growled.

Holy shit my panties just flooded. I pulled my hand away from his and tried to keep the car on the road as my traitorous body was telling me to pull over and let him keep his promise. _Get it together Stackhouse! _I thought angrily at myself. Of course Eric was the picture of calm beside me, just lightly chuckling to himself. Lucky for me we were pulling up to our destination.

I pulled the car off the main road onto a small dirt road that led about a half mile out into the country. Under the glow of the street lights in the small dirt parking lot I could see that Jason and Michelle were here as well as Alcide and three of his pack mates.

"Come on!" I said to Eric jumping out and grinning like a lunatic

"Hey sis!" Jason called as he wrapped me up in a hug. He set me down and eyed Eric for a few seconds before nodding his head at him. "King Northman." He said politely. Wow, apparently Calvin had actually been teaching my brother his role manners in the Supe community.

"Jason." Eric replied. "Sookie tells me that tonight is for fun so just Eric will be fine."

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Alcide said in his grumbly voice while picking me up in a bear hug. I noticed Eric's guards Damien and Sebastian tense at this display but Eric quickly nodded that everything was ok.

"Hey Alcide, it's good to see you too!" He set me down and I looked beside him to see Amanda standing there smiling softly.

"Oh my gosh Amanda, it's so good to see you! How are you doing?" I asked while leaning in to give her a hug.

Surprisingly she actually pulled me into a tighter embrace. "It's good to see you too Sookie. I'm doing real good, and I know that's thanks to you."

"Well Alcide did the heavy lifting but I'm just glad I could help. You look great."

"Thanks….for everything." I gave her a quick squeeze of her hand and then changed the subject so as not to dwell on her time at the hands of those lunatics.

Alcide was introducing me to the other Weres when Sam, Tara, and Tray rolled in. We all exchanged pleasantries while everyone was looking around at the dark fields as far as the eye could see. Everyone's attentions were diverted when one after the other, stadium lights across the field started coming on. Pam, Amelia, Karin, and Godric pulled up in Amelia's car with Bill and Harper right behind them. It was only a moment later when the familiar sight of Quinn's black Escalade came rolling down the drive. All the vampires got out and walked over to Eric and me while Quinn, Brody, and Aiden stepped out and came striding over to our group. Boy what a group it was! We had vamps, Weres, a witch, a Faery, a tiger, a shapeshifter, a panther, and oh yeah; two humans.

Naturally Pam still looked slightly dressy even after I warned her to seriously dress down for the occasion.

"Pam you look great, but remember I said to dress really casual?" I asked her.

"I did. What did you expect me to wear; cutoffs?" She said with slight disgust while looking over my outfit.

"Ok well don't say I didn't warn you." I said in a singsong voice. Looking around, at least Tara and Harper had seemed to heed my warning by wearing outfits similar to mine. Bill was wearing his version of casual which consisted of jeans and a henley tee instead of khaki's and a henley. To my surprise and delight though, he seemed to look relaxed and maybe even happy. I knew from my recent conversations with Harper that so far everything was going good between them. He was teaching her to be a mainstreaming vampire and she was teaching him to lighten up and have a little fun; it was a win/win for them both.

"What is that?" Eric asked looking out across the field.

I looked out to see several sets of headlights heading our way through the field and I heard the familiar rumble of the motors. Grinning like a fool, I answered him. "I believe those are our rides for the night."

I looked around to see the confusion and delight on my friend's faces as they watched the four wheelers and John Deere gators roll up in front of us. A young man jumped off one of the four wheelers and walked over to our group.

"Hey y'all! My name is Jeff and I'll be your guide this evening. Where is Ms. Stackhouse?" He called out to the crowd.

I stepped forward and shook his hand. "Hi I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I think our whole group is here, so we're ready when you are."

"Alright great." He faced the crowd again and raised his voice. "Let me take a minute to explain what we have set up for tonight. My friends and I will be taking you guys down to the main field where we have our 40 acre paintball field set up and you can play in groups of 8 – 10 people at a time. We also have three Jeeps as well as these four wheelers ready to go on the mud bog. Marcus has the grill fired up and has already started cooking, so we'll have some steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs ready in about half an hour. There's cold beer and warm blood already waiting down by the picnic areas and anything else you need don't hesitate to ask. You've got about two and a half hours to play before the fireworks start at 11:30 and then you'll have another two hours afterwards."

I heard the giggles and squeals of delight coming from everyone while he spoke and I could hardly sit still I was so excited. I might clean up nice to hang on my King's arm but deep down I would always be a southern girl at heart. I loved beer, mud, and four wheelers and I was damn proud of it! The vampires didn't seem quite as excited as the others except Harper who was grinning and clutching onto Bill. He looked half amused but I figured it was more about the delight she was showing than his own eagerness to go mud bogging. Either way I was determined for him to pull the stick out of his ass tonight and have fun. Pam was looking at me like I was crazy but I just smiled sweetly back at her.

"This is awesome! Sook did you really set all this up?" Jason asked excited as a little kid.

"I sure did. Come on, let's go!" I yelled.

Everyone started walking over and took seats on either a four wheeler or took a seat on one of the gators that could hold five people at once. Soon everyone was loaded and we took off down the field. Jeff had caught a ride on one of the gators and handed me the key to his four-wheeler. I hopped on with Eric and Amelia sliding on behind me.

"This is not what I had in mind lover; I'll give you credit for being so creative." Eric yelled over the sound of the motor.

"Isn't this great? Have you ever been on one of these?"

"No I haven't, but I've seen them on TV before. You seem to know what you're doing though."

"Oh yeah, me and Jason used to love going to Hoyt's house and riding for hours. Gran couldn't afford one but luckily Hoyt had two but was an only child so we got to use his all the time. You're going to have so much fun!" I yelled in glee. This was going to be a great night and I hoped everyone would have fun.

I came to a stop where the others had gathered and shut off the engine.

Jeff stepped up to speak to everyone again. "Alright over to your left is the entrance to the paintball field; the picnic area is to the right and down the hill, and you'll need to take one of the ATVs down that path if you want to go to the mud bog. All the ATVs are at your disposal for the night so if you just want to ride them without the mud, then any free field is yours. Some of my guys are at the entrance to the paintball field to help everyone suit up and get started. If you need anything, I'll be over by the grills. Have fun!"

Everyone looked around at each other trying to decide what they wanted to do first.

"I must say I've never done any of these things before but I am excited to try them. How did you manage to do all this?" Godric asked walking up to me.

"Oh this is what all country kids do growing up! Going muddin' and riding four-wheelers is practically a birth right if you're from the south. You'll love it Godric! How about we get the family together for some paintball?"

"She's right; in between the stupid beauty pageants my Mom put me in growing up, I would get out and ride my bike through woods and get myself covered in dirt. In high school, we used to throw parties at one of my friend's farm and drink moonshine out in the corn field and race their big pickups through the muddy creek; it was soooo much fun!" Harper said excitedly. I had a feeling under that beautiful exterior there was a true southern girl waiting to come out.

"See this girl knows how to have fun!" I squealed and took her by the hand. "Alright how about Eric, Karin, Bill, Harper, and Tara are one team and Godric, Pam, Amelia, Sam, and me are the other?"

"Oh so you want to fight against me lover?" Eric smirked at me.

"What's wrong? You afraid you'll lose to little ol' me?" I teased him.

He playfully growled at me. "Never, of course I will be victorious. I do however think there should be some wagers for this little game."

"Oh yeah and what would those be? And before you even say it; no kinky shit." I replied.

"Well where's the fun in that? Fine; how about if my team wins then the five of you have to show up at Fangtasia for a week dressed in costumes of my choosing."

I looked at my teammates for approval before speaking. "Deal; but if we win then you guys have to spend a week at Fangtasia dressed in whatever I choose."

"Easy. You're on Tinkerbell." Eric replied.

We all went down to the field and three of the employees started suiting us up and explaining the rules for the sake of the vamps.

"Pam I bet you wish you would have worn something else now." I teased her.

"Ha! I don't plan on getting dirty; I'm going to slaughter the competition. They won't even see me coming."

"Dear child, I can't wait to see you strutting around the club in an outfit of my choosing." Eric said.

"Don't take this personally Master, but you're going down." She replied flashing fang.

"Don't be silly; I'm going to crush all of you." Godric said smirking; maybe that's where Eric gets it from.

Listening to them threaten to destroy each other in paintball was hilarious; leave it to vampires to go all Band of Brothers on a fun game.

"Hey don't count us humans out just yet!" Tara said with fake indignation. "You all might be fast and strong, but we've been playing this game for years; ain't that right Sook?"

"You know it! Sorry Harper but you're going to be sweeping up Fangtasia for a week darlin'" I joked with the baby vamp.

She looked up from pouring her paintballs in and gave me her best beauty queen smile. "Well that's not really the way I see it Sookie; just hope your boyfriend goes easy on you with your outfit choice because you guys are going down!" She held her gun up theatrically and let out a genuine laugh.

"That's my girl." Bill smiled at her then lifted his gun up accordingly.

One of the employees was chuckling at us and asked; "Everyone understand the rules?"

After everyone nodded that they understood, I felt like we better throw in a few extra rules once they were out of earshot.

I got Eric's teams attention before we parted ways. "By the way; no flying, hovering, or magic. It's only fair if we all stay on the ground and at least pretend to be human." After a few groans and grumbles, everyone agreed and we walked to opposite ends of the field to get started.

Pam and I decided to stick together while Godric, Amelia, and Sam went off in separate directions. We were hiding behind one of the plywood half walls waiting on the battle to start. Pam looked at me and grinned.

"You'll need to close off your side of the bond so he can't track you. Do whatever you have to do to take out Eric. Use your normal talent of turning him into a bumbling fool if you need to. Karin will be the next fastest so I'll go after her. We need to take those two out as quickly as possible. The rest will be no problem."

"Gotcha. You don't think Eric will get mad at me for closing the bond do you?" I asked Pam but before I could get her reply I felt Eric shut himself off from me. Sneaky vampire! Fine, two can play at this game. I looked down at all my protective gear. "There's just one problem though; my two best distractions are covered with this big Kevlar looking vest."

"That's alright, I'm sure you'll think of something."

_BBBUUUUUZZZZZZZ!_ The start bell rang out signaling it was go time. Pam darted out from behind our cover and ran up to a hay barrel barricade about 20 feet ahead of us. Startled by her sudden movement, I took off right behind her. To my right I could see Sam moving to the outer edges of the perimeter and sinking into a crouch. Amelia and Godric were coming up on our left with Godric moving at a totally inhuman grace. I couldn't hear a sound coming from his as his quickly made his way forwards.

Pam looked at me and jerked her head towards the rickety looking guard shack. I checked the open area for threats before darting across. While I was running, I heard a paintball whiz past me but luckily it was a second too slow and missed me. After another quick check, I signaled for Pam and she came vamp speed over to me. Whoever my would-be assassin was, they didn't dare try to hit Pam. I could tell Pam sensed someone getting closer when she stiffened and sniffed the air. Before I could figure out who was coming, she popped up and double tapped her gun before coming back down just as fast.

"Damn it!" I heard Tara yell a few feet away. I looked at Pam who was wearing her devious smile.

"Good one!" I mouthed to her.

After the first casualty, things started to speed up and pretty soon all you could hear was the whooshing sound of the vamps speeding through the field and a continuous stream of POPS coming from firing paintballs.

I was almost to the graveyard when I saw the flash of Karin's red hair pop up. I dove for the ground, missing the paintball but unfortunately Amelia who was behind me caught it right in the chest.

"Aw man!" She mumbled before jogging off towards the entrance.

I had army crawled across the ground to take cover behind a hay barrel temporarily. I sent out my mental feelers and noticed that Karin had moved slightly further to the right of me. I didn't consider my quirk to be cheating since the vampires could hear and smell us from half a mile away. I slowed my breathing, thinking at least they wouldn't hear my heart beating so loud before I held my gun out and made a mad dash for the fog covered graveyard while popping off rounds the whole way.

When I reached my covered position, I grabbed my extra paintballs from the little saddle bags I had and refilled my gun. I felt a familiar void getting closer but instead of firing, I pointed my gun towards the ground and grabbed my right ankle.

"Oww, oh man that hurts." I moaned rubbing my ankle.

Just like the spider, I was luring my prey to me. After a few seconds of pained moaning and rubbing on my ankle, Bill stepped out of the shadows with his gun raised. It only took him a second to analyze what he was seeing and he immediately came to me and put his gun down.

"Sookie are you alright? Have you injured your foot?" He asked being the perfect gentleman I knew he was.

"Yeah, I was running over here and I think I twisted it or something." I lied with a grimace on my face.

"Let me look at it." He said carefully picking up my foot. "I can't see anything wrong, but perhaps y…."

Pop! I had never fully set my gun down so I took the split second to point it upwards and tag him in the chest.

"Sorry Bill but I couldn't resist." I said sweetly.

"Very mature Sookie. You're starting to act like Eric." He said dryly before standing back up to leave the field.

"I agree; she's almost as devious as me." Eric chuckled from behind Bill. Before I could register the situation though, I felt the distinct _thump thump_ of two paintballs hitting my vest.

I looked down shocked to see a green paint splatter over each of my boobs.

"What the hell Eric? What kind of sicko would shoot their own bonded?" I asked incredulously.

"Now now lover, don't take it personally. All's fair in love and war mitt hjärta." He sped over and picked me up, giving me a quick kiss before he vamped off.

Well hell! I ran over to the little open air cabin at the entrance and sat down beside Amelia, Tara, Bill, and Sam. They were watching a flat screen TV that had 6 different little screens showing the feed from the cameras throughout the field. I watched Pam zipping from screen to screen as she moved quickly through the field. I saw Pam duck behind some barrels and Karin was slowly edging closer to her. Pam picked up a rock and threw it, hitting the crates that were about ten feet to her left; the noise distracted Karin for the half second it took Pam to stick her gun out and tag Karin.

"Yes! Go Pam!" I cheered at the screen. Within a few seconds a grumpy Karin was standing with us, wearing her yellow paint splatters like a badge of shame.

"A bunch of malarkey this game is." She grumbled with her Irish accent clearer than ever. She plopped down beside Bill to watch the rest of the battle.

"As you'll notice, my progeny who is only months old is still in the game against three of the strongest vampires." Bill said smiling at the screen.

He had every reason to be proud; I couldn't believe Harper was still standing. Even as a new vampire, you could tell the girl had skills from living during the time the game became popular years ago.

I watched as Pam and Eric went sailing past each other matrix style, firing the whole way. Amazingly neither of them hit the other. Just as Pam was crouched to reload her gun, baby vamp Harper shot past her and hit her right in the chest! Oh man I bet she wasn't going to be too happy about a baby taking her out!

"Ha!" Bill chuckled at the screen.

Sure enough, Pam stomped into the cabin with a scary look on her face.

"Bill what are you feeding that girl, Faeries? I can't believe a fucking newborn got the jump on me!" She seethed. Retracting her fangs, she threw herself down in a chair beside Karin.

I turned my attention back to the monitors; I was getting worried because Eric's team still had two members left but my team was down to just one. Speaking of that one, I hadn't seen Godric on any of the screens since I had come over here. I started looking carefully at each screen trying to find him, but instead I saw a black blur and then Harper looking down to see orange paint blasted on her vest. Yes! Godric was out there and still playing strong; it was down to maker and child.

We were all watching with rapt attention as Eric vamped around the obstacles looking for any more players. When he had covered the whole field and didn't find anyone, he sped towards the cabin to see who all was out. We turned and looked at him as he eyed all of us, realization setting in that Godric was still on the loose. He turned to leave when I heard the two taps of paintballs hit Eric's chest.

"Looking for me son?" Godric laughed and lowered his gun. Eric just playfully growled in response.

"You would shoot your child?" Eric teased.

"Well I had to defend the honor of Sookie, since you shot your bonded. Bad form my child." Godric chided him playfully.

"Oh man that was fun!" Amelia said jumping up. "But I'm starving, how about we go eat?"

Godric and Eric threw off their gear and we all started walking towards the picnic area.

"Can your wounded warrior get a kiss my love?" Eric whispered playfully.

"Hmm…I don't know. I mean you did shoot me while I was down. That was pretty low; even for a Viking."

"No lower than you luring a southern gentleman to your aid, only to shoot him. I have to admit that level of manipulation really turned me on."

I looked at him with my mouth gaping open before playfully slapping his arm. He took that as his cue to go caveman and threw me over his shoulder.

"Eric!" I squealed in delight.

He swatted my ass before saying; "Quiet down girl. I will take you back to my village as my reward from war."

"Ooh are we playing the Viking and the damsel in distress?" I purred at him. I was very quickly slung back around to his front where I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist. My laugh was cut off by Eric's cool lips smashing against mine. We were locked in our own little bliss momentarily before I heard Pam sigh loudly beside us.

"Oh get a room you two! I haven't had dinner yet and you're ruining my appetite." She sneered playfully.

Soon we were all back at the picnic area where Alcide, Tray, Amanda, Aiden, and Brody were loading their plates with delicious smelling food.

"Ok put me down you horny Viking; I'm starving."

He gave me one last kiss to the forehead before setting me down. Amelia and I hurried to the food table and started filling our plates like we hadn't ate in a week. After all the vamps grabbed their glasses of blood, we sat down at the long picnic table where the Weres were already stuffing their faces.

"The food is great; thanks again for the invite Sookie." Aiden mumbled between mouthfuls. Tray, Amanda, Alcide and Brody all chimed in their thank you's as well.

"Sure, I'm glad you guys could come. Did you go through the bog yet?"

"Oh yeah." He said smiling and looked to his comrades. "It was freakin' awesome! Are you going to do it?"

"Of course! As soon as I get done eating I plan on hopping in one of those Jeeps and showing these vamps what country girls are made of."

"Oh really? I'm fairly certain I know exactly what you're made of….inside and out." Eric leered at me.

"Oh cut it out!" I admonished my vampire.

"He has a point Sook; I'm pretty sure I've overheard him praising your contents. You know; soft, warm, tight, …" Amelia teased.

I cut her off before she could go any further. "Ok Amelia! We get it!"

Amelia and Godric snickered while Alcide made an uncomfortable growling noise from his seat a little ways down from me. You had to admire Amelia's candor when it came to sex and humor; she had definitely taught me to lighten up since she became a part of my life. By now I could almost keep up with the raunchiness that came from Eric and Pam on a daily basis.

As surprising as it may sound, it was a very relaxed dinner with my vampire family and the rest of my mish mosh of Supe friends. Everyone made polite conversation and even Eric talked to Alcide about how his business was going and the feelings of the local packs with the idea of coming out to the public soon.

"You guys ready to get dirty?" I asked with excitement.

"Hell yeah, let's go!" Tara yelled. She may or may not have been on her third Jack & Coke.

"Sounds fun, but you're not driving." Sam told her.

"Aw but baby I love going muddin!" She said playfully.

"Well I'll be sure to take you another time when you haven't been hitting the bottle. I think tonight you better just be a passenger."

"Fine." She huffed.

"Don't worry babe I'm driving and you can ride with me." I said.

I turned to Eric who was texting at vamp speed. "Ready?"

"I'm sorry love I need to make a few calls, but I'll catch up with you as soon as possible."

I couldn't stop the pout from forming on my face. "Tonight? Can it wait until later?"

"Unfortunately no, but I promise I won't be long. I definitely don't want to miss your superior driving skills." He said sarcastically.

"We'll see who has the last laugh mister." I playfully tapped his chest before giving him a quick kiss. "Hurry up ok?"

Alcide and the rest of the Weres headed off to play paintball while the rest of us, minus Eric made our way to the biggest, coolest mud trail I had ever layed eyes on.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are actually going to drive through the mud and the woods in an attempt to see how dirty you can get?" Pam's voice was dripping with disdain. She just didn't get it.

"In a word; yes." I answered her.

"I think I'll sit this one out. The activities that impoverished humans come up with to entertain themselves never seem to surprise me." She turned to Amelia. "Want to come with?"

"Are you kidding me? My Dad never let me do thing like this growing up; I can't wait!"

"Fine. I'll see you all at the fireworks; I'm taking one of those." She said pointing to a four-wheeler. I guess she paid attention on the trip down because she jumped on and drove off like she had been riding them all her life.

"I don't know about you guys, but I just like riding instead of driving. Bill are you going to drive one?" Harper asked him.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment like he was about to say no, but I piped in answering for him.

"Yeah Bill that's a great idea! Why don't you drive one too? Jeff said we can have two Jeeps on the course at a time." Reluctantly he agreed.

We went over to the little booth where a pretty blonde probably in her 30's was standing behind a desk.

"Hi, I'm Paula. Are you Sookie?" She asked extending her hand.

"Yes; we were hoping to go out on the course. Can we please take two of the Jeeps?"

"Sure; I already have your driver's license on file Miss Stackhouse, but I'll need to see the ID of the other driver as well."

Uh oh Bill was going to have to pull out his vampire ID card; hopefully she would be cool with him being the other driver. He stepped forward and handed over his ID and I was happy to hear from her thoughts that she was perfectly fine with a vampire driver and apparently they were very accustomed to serving the Supe community. In fact she seemed more than happy to let Bill drive _whatever_ he wanted.

_He's so good looking; I wonder if the young blonde is his girlfriend? She seems to be a vamp too so they probably aren't monogamous. Maybe I can pick them both up later; damn I love this job…._

Years of facial control allowed me to ignore the thoughts going through her head that involved Bill and her, and even Harper. Maybe he could have a really good night; I would have to let him know later. I jumped in the driver's seat of a lifted Jeep Wrangler and revved the engine. Karin jumped in the passenger seat and Godric and Amelia took the backseat. Bill, Harper, Tara, and Sam took the red one behind us and strapped in.

"Let's go!" I yelled before gunning it up the first muddy hill.

We went flying over the hill and sliding down while zig zagging the truck all over the place. The course was full of twists and turns for maximum sliding potential but sadly the lack of rain recently hampered our full potential.

"Yee haw girl! This is fun!" Karin yelled while she hung on to the OS (Oh Shit) handle. It was so funny watching Eric's beautiful fire headed Irish child yelling and laughing while getting blasted with mud and dust. In the weeks Karin and I had spent together so far, this was definitely the most I had seen her cut loose. Amelia was standing up holding onto the roll cage hollering like a mad woman while Godric smiled and kept a firm grip on her leg.

"It's too bad there hasn't been any rain or we would really have something to play around in!" I yelled at my comrades.

"Oh well I think we can do something about that." Amelia yelled back. I took my eyes off the road for a split second to watch as Amelia started moving her outstretched hand in a circular pattern. I couldn't hear her but I could see that her lips were moving and before I knew it; we had rain! My clever little witchy friend brewed up a few storm clouds to coat the track with rain.

"That's more like it!" I yelled back at her. We were approaching the part of the track that went in a trail through the woods so Godric pulled Amelia back down into his lap and I gunned through, swerving past trees and small creeks. Karin let out a little shriek when the passenger side caught the edge of the creek and splashed water all over her. Taking it like a good sport, she just laughed and kept right on having fun.

I wanted Eric here so badly to enjoy the ride so I sent him a wave of need; it took about a minute later but while we were rounding another bend, he floated down into the backseat.

"Hey honey!" I yelled playfully.

"Lover you were right, you're quite good at this. I see you've managed to turn my child into a mud pie and it's the strangest thing; it seems to be raining right over your little course but nowhere else." He smirked and looked over at Amelia.

"What can I say? Louisiana has random thunderstorms." She said sticking her tongue out at him.

Now we were back to the good part. I came to a stop at the end of the woods and waited for Bill's truck to catch up. They came up behind us and I looked back to see Bill actually smiling while Harper clutched to his side laughing. They pulled up right behind us and came to a stop but I didn't take the time to talk as I floored it and spun mud up all over their truck. We came barreling back through the actual mud course and this time we really did some damage with all the puddles and sloppy mud from the quick rain storm.

By the time we pulled back into the parking area, my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing for so long. We were all thoroughly orangish brown from head to toe and it was wonderful! We climbed out and handed the keys back over while Bill was pulling up behind us.

"Come on!" I yelled to Amelia and Karin.

Grabbing Eric's hand, I started running over to the course and ran right up the hill. When we reached the top, Eric just looked at me suspiciously. Karin, Amelia, and Harper were right behind us and grinning like fools.

"Are you serious lover?" Eric asked looking down the hill.

"Come on it's fun! You only live once! Well actually that's not true for y'all but you get the idea." I turned to the ladies and sat down at the top of the hill while they followed suit. Eric just shrugged his shoulders and slid in behind me.

"1…2…3…GO!" I shouted.

Eric put his hands down and gave us a big push and we went flying down the hill.

"WWWEEEEEE!" Amelia yelled like a two year old before we all splashed down into the little mud pool at the bottom.

"Oh my God I can't believe I did that!" Karin said giggling.

I stood up and looked around at our little group of mud pies. There was mud in places I didn't think mud should ever be on a lady but what the hell! It was too much fun to care. Looking over at my Viking he was smiling and chuckling while rubbing the mud off his face. Somehow even covered in filth, he managed to look incredibly sexy. The way his big biceps flexed as he pushed his dirty hair out of his face was nothing short of erotic. I couldn't imagine how disgusting I must look right now, but I didn't have it in me to give two hoots.

"Mud bombs!" Harper yelled before pelting Amelia with a soft mud ball.

It only took that one word from her to get everyone throwing mud all over the place. I knew I had no chance of besting the Viking so I turned to Harper in a fighting stance and yelled "bring it on vampire Barbie!"

We started circling each other like sumo wrestlers before finally I lunged at her, taking her to the ground with me. You can't say that Faeries aren't tough! We started playfully tossing each other around in the mud; rolling and kicking and dragging each other down as we went. Harper tackled me to the ground when I finally stood back up, but I saw the opportunity and swiped her legs out from under her. I faintly heard Eric growl in approval as I kept up with the vampire blow for blow. After a few minutes of mud wrestling, I noticed that Bill, Godric, Tara, Sam, Alcide, Amanda, Jason, Michelle and Tray were all standing close by watching.

Harper and I laughed and gave each other a brief hug before backing away. When she pulled back, I noticed her fangs were fully down and her eyes showed the unmistakable hunger of a vampire. Turning to look at Eric, he also had twin fang boners and was leering at me. Oh yeah, the lust shooting through the bond was definitely coming from his side. After looking around at all our friends, I realized that the men were all looking pretty lusty right about then.

"I am so fucking hard right now." Eric stated as I moved closer.

"Dude that's my sister!" Jason whined and covered his ears.

"Bill." Harper stammered as she moved towards her maker. Damn maybe it wasn't the best idea to mud wrestle with a newborn vampire. It didn't occur to me that it wasn't smart to arouse her natural instincts by mock fighting with her. Bill; who had been looking mighty aroused at our display took Harper in his arms and vamped off to what I hoped was the blood buffet.

"Uh Sookie…Jeff said there's about twenty minutes until the fireworks start." Alcide mumbled and then walked off.

"There are two bath houses back towards the front of the property if anybody wants to get cleaned up before the show." I said cheerfully to my audience.

A very large blonde predator scooped me up bridal style and flew me to the bath house.

"Ok big fella before you get too carried away, will you grab our duffel bag? I set it down at the picnic tables."

He flew off and was back within seconds with our bag in one hand. Stalking me towards the bathroom, he pulled me into a shower stall and ripped my clothes away.

"Eric!" I shrieked. "What if I wanted to keep those clothes?" I pouted.

"You said to wear something that you didn't mind messing up lover; your words not mine."

"You've got a point." I giggled. I stepped a few feet back from him and started rubbing the mud off my arms and neck and dragging it sensually across my breast; pinching my nipples as I went over them.

With a low growl that made me almost orgasm where I stood; Eric ripped his own clothes away in a flash and turned the water on. He pulled me close to his body and positioned us under the water; gently rubbing the dirt off me. He reached back and grabbed the soap from our bag and started laboriously scrubbing my body clean while giving a little extra attention to certain spots. Not to be outdone, I took the soap and reverently cleaned every inch of his magnificent body.

The moment I got all his soap finally rinsed off, I was shoved against the wall while Eric claimed my mouth in a toe curling kiss. Of their own free will, my legs wrapped around his waist while I grabbed his delicious ass to pull him even closer. His hands began their clever assault on my body and it was all I could do not to cry out in pleasure. If anyone else entered the bath house after that, we weren't aware of them. Wrapped up in the delirious pleasure we were giving each other, the only thing that finally broke the haze was when the boom of the first firework tore through the sky.

"Eric we're missing the show! Put me down!" I hissed at him.

"Sookie I'll hire someone to give you your own personal fireworks show. Let us stay in here lover."

"Come on honey, we can finish this later. Let's go watch with everybody else…please." I said poking my bottom lip out pitifully.

"Don't give me that look Sookie, it won't work." He moaned into my mouth. I ignored him and continued to pout and even made my lip quiver. "Fine! You are going to be the second death of me woman."

He set me down and we dried quickly and threw on our clean clothes. When we stepped out of the bath house, I jumped into his arms and he took off towards our crowd of friends who were already seated.

"Eric; Sookie how nice of you to join us. Master I'm glad to see you managed to detach your broad sword from your Faery long enough to watch the fireworks." Pam snickered as we sat down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amelia smiling and fist bump Pam. I was going to have to get some dirt on those two to use as ammo since they obviously had so much on me and Eric.

The fireworks show lasted for half an hour with a huge assortment of every color and design of fireworks you could imagine. For the finale, there was a two minute long continuous explosion of color that lit up the night sky. When the last boom stopped, all of us humans and Weres stood up and clapped and cheered. The vamps just looked at us like we were crazy, but hey you can't teach them everything.

The next two hours were spent talking, relaxing, riding ATV's and one last game of paintball before we called it a night. Everyone thanked me again for such a wonderful time and after a few minutes it was just Eric, Pam, Godric, Amelia, Karin, the guards, and myself left in the parking lot.

"Do you guys want to come back to the house for a little while?" I asked them.

"Sure, let me just…." Amelia started but was interrupted by Godric.

"No thank you Sookie. Why don't you and Eric go ahead; I was going to take my girls for a little night cap." He said.

"Oh…well how about if Eric and I join you?" I offered.

"Actually I was hoping we could spend a little time alone." Eric said and pulled me close.

"You two go ahead and we'll catch up with you tomorrow night at Fangtasia." Godric stated and turned to practically pull Amelia, Pam, and Karin with him. Well damn. Did he not want me and Eric cramping his style or something? I admit I felt a little put off by our abrupt dismissal, but I quickly got over it as I realized how much I did want to be alone with Eric.

We drove back to his house and Eric dismissed the guards for the rest of the night. He strolled up beside me and took my hand as I started to walk to the house.

"I was hoping you might take a walk with me?" He said stopping me in my tracks.

"Of course." I smiled back at my handsome vampire.

So there we were, walking hand in hand down the property and making light conversation. He asked me what I had planned for the next few days and I talked to him about what kind of Royal duties he needed to take care of. It was such a nice night out with the moon shining down and my love by my side; after all the drama it took for us to finally come together, moments like this made me realize it was all worth it.

To my surprise, Eric steered us towards the eastern side of the property which had been strictly off limits to me for weeks. When all the new construction started on the property, Eric had forbidden me from coming down to this particular area. Although the suspense was killing me, I had listened and not peeked. Granted I tried to hear from one of the workers what was going on down here but somehow they were never thinking about it when I was around.

"Close your eyes." Eric whispered as we started towards the new structure.

I gave him a questioning look but did as he asked. He swept me up in his arms and sped down towards the building. I felt my feet touch the ground and Eric kiss the back of my head.

"Open them." His words just light touches on the wind.

"Oh my God! Eric this is….it's wonderful!" I gasped as I ran towards the brand new stables with two beautiful horses looking back at me. There was a female Palomino who was my definition of the perfect horse. Her beautiful honey colored coat with her blonde mane and tail made her spectacular. If Eric could have looked in my head, he couldn't have chosen a more perfect horse. The other was also amazingly beautiful but completely different than the Palomino. A strong male who was as black as a raven with a glossy coat was in the next stall. "They're so beautiful! I love horses!"

"I know. When we were in New Orleans a few months ago, I asked you what you liked to do as a child and you said you loved the 4-H club because it was the only time you got to ride horses."

My mouth was probably catching flies but I couldn't believe my lovable vampire had remembered that silly conversation and taken it upon himself to put horses on his property.

"You're going to love them Eric, horses are excellent pets. I can help you take care of them when I'm over if you want."

He looked at me like I had sprouted another head before grinning. "Lover these are your horses; I got them for you."

"For me? Eric that's incredible but you didn't have to do that. I mean, I don't live here so you'll be the one responsible for them when I'm not over. Are you sure you want to keep them?"

"Of course I do. They are yours now and maybe it will benefit me by you being here more often…..for the horses of course." That damn smirk.

I tore myself away from the beautiful Palomino long enough to wrap my arms around his waist.

"Thank you Eric. This is almost the best gift anyone has ever given me."

I could feel his love, devotion, and happiness through the bond but there was also something else; nervousness maybe?

"You are very welcome. I love to please you Sookie; I love to see that beautiful smile on your face. I am curious though; if this is _almost_ the best gift you've ever received, what is the best?"

"Eric you please me just by being with me. Your love is the best gift I've ever received." My answer definitely seemed to please him as I was blasted with more affectionate feelings.

I fawned over my two new beauties for a little while longer before Eric asked me to check out one more thing with him. I hated to leave my beauties behind, but he assured me there would be plenty of time tomorrow to get acquainted with them.

"I've hired a riding instructor who will come by twice a week to help you learn the proper riding techniques and how to care for them. I'll give you his business card and you'll just need to call and setup your appointments."

"I can't believe I have horses. As a little girl, I would dream of having our own little stable out in the backyard where my Palomino would let me ride her and feed her carrots. I never thought I'd actually have one though. I can't tell you how much it means to me."

He just smiled serenely at me and kissed my temple as we walked towards the lake. As we got closer, I could see that someone had set up a trail of white paper lanterns hanging from black posts all along the walkway that led to the small dock.

"What is this?" I giggled as I ran up to get a better look.

"Well it is mighty dark tonight so I thought we could use some lights." He said nonchalantly.

"This is beautiful."

"Come on lover, our chariot awaits." He steered me to the end of the dock and helped me down into his small wooden boat. I had ridden with him in this boat before and it always cracked me up and impressed me that it looked like a miniature Viking long ship. I was even more impressed when he showed me his small warehouse outside of town where he had built the boat himself.

He stepped in after me and took the paddles to row us out on the lake. I sighed with contentment and leaned my back onto Eric's chest. The symphony of a low country night was all around us. The comforting sounds of the water sloshing gently against the paddles and the tree frogs singing their chorus made for a very enjoyable and romantic ride. We were a good ways out on the lake when he put the paddles away and pulled a small remote from his pocket. He pushed a button and tiny twinkling lights lit up the woods all around us.

I sat straight up and gasped. The sight was breathtaking with the woods lit up like our own galaxy.

"Eric what is all this? The lanterns, the boat ride, the lights; I thought tonight was my turn to surprise you?"

"Oh you did my love, but I simply wanted to return the favor."

"It's magical out here. Thank you so much Eric."

"Sookie." He said with a serious look on his face. He turned me in his arms so that I was facing him with his arms around my waist.

"I want you to know that the last six months with you have been the most amazing time of my long life. From the night you walked into my bar, I was captivated by your smile, your beauty, your personality, your wit and especially your feistiness. My life had become an endless amount of nights that just seemed to drag on with no meaning, no purpose. The night you came in; you turned everything upside down. I couldn't stop thinking about you; the thoughts of seeing you again, touching you, burying my head in your hair and inhaling that delicious scent of yours, it practically drove me mad. I tried to think of reasons to ask you to come to Fangtasia for your gift, but truthfully I just wanted to spend time with you. In all my life, I have never wanted anything as much as I wanted you. I know that things may not always be easy between us, but know that I will fight with every ounce of my being to make you happy and keep you safe. After 1000 years of life, you've finally given me a reason to live. I want to spend the rest of our lives just as we are now. Sookie; will you marry me?"

The tears had already been flowing freely through his speech and now I was staring at him in shock. My beautiful vampire was kneeling in front of me holding my left hand as he opened a black velvet box in front of me.

"Oh Eric…" I was so overcome with emotion I could hardly speak. Eric; the love of my life had just asked me to marry him. I peeled my eyes from his for a few seconds to glance down and was again struck speechless at the sight of the beautiful, antique style diamond ring. I wrapped my arms around his neck and sobbed with all the love and joy that was flowing from my heart. "Oh I love you! I love you so much Eric; of course I'll marry you!"

We hugged and kissed and cried for what felt like hours. When I finally came back down to earth, I leaned against Eric; Eric my fiancé! I loved the sound of that.

"I believe I just became the luckiest man on the planet Sookie Stackhouse." His words came out like a caress on my already overwhelmed heart.

"No Eric, I'm the lucky one. I never dreamed that I would be able to fall in love, much less get married and now I've found my soul mate and you want to marry me? It's so amazing it's almost unreal. I do have to ask you something though."

"Anything."

"Is this going to be a real marriage; like by human standards?"

"Lover I intend to marry you in any and every way possible if you will allow me. So to answer your question; yes I wish to give you the wedding of your dreams and marry you in front of your friends and family. I also wish to marry you by vampire standards in front of all those who owe me fealty and all the Supernatural beings you have charmed in the last two years if we can fit them all in one location." He chuckled at that last part. "And if there is some Fae wedding that you would like to do then we will do that also. There is no limit to how tightly I wish to bind us dear one."

"Thank you. I would love to do all those things. I'm just worried because who knows how long it will be before the states start passing laws that say vampires and humans can legally marry."

He turned me to look at him with a twinkle in his eye. "Oh you have not been following the news I gather." I just shook my head in ignorance. I did in fact try not to pay too much attention to the news because I had enough craziness in my own life to worry about without watching the news and getting depressed.

"The first of the United States has just passed the VHA 8. It is now legal for vampires and humans to marry in the great state of Nevada."

* * *

**_Pack your bags we're heading to Vegas! Eric and Sookie are getting hitched and you all are invited! The next book will be out very soon for your reading pleasure! As always I do appreciate reviews and critiques so speak up and let your voice be heard...or seen._**


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